Taming Tora
by Renzin
Summary: I wasn't some ditzy prepubescent fan girl whining over an Uchiha, or interested in cozying up with the blond brat. I was a boxer, a guy who liked a cold one and played in snooker tournaments, who briefly got stuck watching some anime with my friend's little girl. Couple months later, I miss my step and become KIA. Guess where I get reborn? Wait, where the hell did my dick go!
1. Breaking Into A New Reality

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, only my OCs and this story**

Chapter 1

* * *

_"Remember tonight... for it is the beginning of always" _  
― Dante Alighieri

* * *

Memory is a repressive cloak upon me, diaphanous and incubating.

Its resolution is ever changing, and perhaps sentient and separate to our minds in its own right.

When a life in all its short or fulfilled glory comes to an end, the beginning of the next signals the time where Memory must let go and fade.

Its age and familiarity with its vessel are meaningless, because once your very Being departs, Memory has no choice but to either follow or be left behind in an incomprehensible history.

But sometimes, a rare phenomena occurs.

In one occurrence, Memory was stubborn enough to demand never to be forgotten. The idea was far too terrifying, the nearing embrace of being alone enough for Memory to clasp onto Being's hand and _not let go_.

Memory decides vividly that it will never succumb to that fate.

It _refused _to be forgotten.

And it places its burden on me,

To never forget.

* * *

Being has chosen the next vessel. It coaxes Memory into viewing it as well, unsure of how to approach this. Being has never had to share this decision with anything before; on that note, Being's never travelled in between vessels with company before either.

It's a strange sensation, one that Memory gleefully holds onto and stores away. Memory is far more vibrant that the others, Being muses. Memory is like a live wire, electricity dancing out of it's shredded tips. It is a good thing that Memory is strong – it will have to be to retain so much.

Eventually, Memory turns back to Being, pouting and leading them away. It doesn't like this vessel, too exposed to harm.

_'Don't you ever_ listen_ when I remember for us?' _Memory chides Being. '_The toxins in that vessel's carrier are bad. No wonder our last was so easy to offline, if you didn't pay attention to such details.'_

Being grumbles, miffed at the criticism. '_How would_ I_ have known? It's not like I could get a second opinion.'_

Memory nudges Being fondly. '_Well now you've got me, and I'm not going anywhere.'_

They brace their cores together, sighing. In unison, they agree. '_We are as one.'_

Later, Being is restless again. It does not like staying in the existence in between vessels for very long. '_When will you be satisfied? Choose!'_

_'I will not _settle,' Memory insists. '_I want to look in another universe. Perhaps our search will be fruitful there.'_

Being is too impatient to point out how unorthodox that is.

Finally, Memory cries out in triumph, and in excitement presses Being towards its choice. Being snorts at the choice. '_Really? Couldn't let go of the past, could you?'_

Memory beams. '_Never.'_

Together, they make their journey to fill the chosen vessel. While Memory squeezes itself into the organic material already forming, Being allows itself to be absorbed, dormant and ready to take on control when the time comes. Being watches Memory with amusement alter the transcriptions of proteins in the new vessel, moulding it into what it knows and holds dear.

Being sighs and lets go of its anxiety, ignoring the fact that it's Being's job to deal with the alterations Memory's mere presence has made.

A heavy throb in Being's core reminds him. '_The energy is here now. But its…quite early.'_

_'Why not now?' _

'_It usually comes later, but must have sensed both of us and felt greater pull.'_

'_Lets do it now then.' _Says Memory, impatient to move on as ever. '_It feels strange!'_

_'Of course it would. Every world has it's own energy.' _Being reminds Memory, who has never experienced Spirit energy other than that of the vessel they left behind.

_'Shall we merge with it then?' _Memory asks.

Being pauses, but then decides that change is inevitable now anyway. '_Yes.'_

And so they combine with the new foreign energy, which is so young and buzzes around frantically. Spirit is the white hot scalding of a flame; it is the spark that ignites a consciousness, and opinions, and hopes, losses and dreams. Spirit is hard to calm down, like a screaming child, unsure and new to everything. But Spirit is also their leader, and Being and Memory must show it that they will follow willingly, to where ever they are led.

This Spirit is hard to tame, fuelled by this chakra energy that both Being and Memory are unfamiliar with. They now know it hurts like hell to take the full brunt of it, and are encouraged that their leader is so strong. Spirit will need to be. But once Being gets a good grasp on Spirit, Memory attaches on quickly as well, and with the same voracity that stars are made of, a life begins.

* * *

_"Touch has a memory." _  
― John Keats

* * *

By the time Being, Memory and Spirit combine, their vessel has been forming for 9 weeks. If set in the palm of what would be its full grown form, their vessel could roll around with room to spare. The vessel is floating in fluid, and is twitching its limbs curiously. The cranium is heavy, veins would be visible if not for the blackness of the womb and cartilage is starting to strengthen.

And then suddenly, It has its first full formed thought. Memory shows their old vessel, running under the night sky that they have never seen in this life. The air is freezing, and yet a wild feeling of happiness overcomes before the consciousness takes over.

* * *

It is warm, an individual Nirvana in here. Constantly floating, waves like a soothing ocean lapping at my hypersensitive skin. I can do nothing but twitch, flail my limbs sideways and roll in my natural curled ball. All I can do is feel, and remember.

* * *

Month 3.

My carrier is moving. She always seems to be, the vibrations from her hips swaying with every step. Often a heavy warmth will cover one side of me, and I know she is touching her nearest surface, hoping to feel me.

I spiral my fingers in circles. My toes are slower to copy the motion, though do obey.

I dream endlessly.

Of a tall man with thick curls of dark hair, cold eyes and a smile was as warm as I felt.

He would always be moving, climbing, running, even dancing.

But most of all, he fought.

In a huge crowded room where the ceiling was too illuminated to look at directly, within a large platform with thick plastic robes tied together along the edge. So many faces watched from all sides, screaming, cheering, even crying. This man would enter that stage, and fight any man that stepped in with him to face him.

The way he moved was quick, like an unstoppable projectile that could redirect itself on a whim. He seemed to fly sometimes, then duck so low as to become the ground.

At these dreams I became excitable, thrashing more than usual to mimic this dance.

* * *

Month 5.

She's singing, and God, it's the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. I spiral around as a crashing and flying feeling of love fills me. I love her warmth, her voice, everything.

I don't understand what she says, but the language of my memories is easily comprehensible. I try to sing lyrics I know back to her, yet they come out as gurgles.

When she stops, I often _gently _nudge her to continue.

* * *

Month 8.

There is barely any fluid left, and little room to move, let I continue to persevere. The dreams are more vivid, and somehow I _know _that they are my memories, and that once I moved and fought like that. The realisation is thrilling and yet makes me baulk.

Because along with that thought is the understanding that I should not know this. I know where I am. I know _what _I am. Someone else should be in this womb, ready to leave soon to begin life again, whereas I should be swirling around the bones of my old body.

_I'm going to be reborn. _

The idea is terrifying.

* * *

I'd never given birth before. You know, in the er..._past life. _

Not because I didn't find the right guy or anything, but because, well...

I _am _a guy. Was, at least. Unless this is some birth defect that someone with hopefully -_please, dear god- _fix once I'm out.

I've seen many hollywood censored and dramatised births on TV, and with all the screaming and stuff, I figured it would hurt. And of course I had to be right about that.

I felt a little guilty that she,...my _mother _seemed to have picked the short straw here, but hell it was nasty for me as well!

First there was the feeling of moving at an odd downwards angle, and then the constant suction of the constricting channel. Half way through a gust of air from the outside hit my head, and _fuck that was cold hell no! _But of course she just kept pushing and screaming while I refused to budged and was also screaming.

Real bonding moment, I can tell you.

Eventually, the damned woman managed to win and suddenly I was feeling an entirely new set of hands holding me, wiping away the aggulating remains of fluid as I screamed my outrage. Who ever was holding me kept moving from his position of blocking the stinging midday sun, and I was occupied with that torture until I felt a sharp pain that reminded me of glass that had once been deeply embedded in my arm at a bar fight.

Of course, they had just cut my umbilical cord.

A few hours later I was in the back of a drawn cart, with a thick blanket wrapping me into the chest of my birth mother, while who I assumed was my father was holding the reins to the cattle, with a small child next to him. 2 other women rode with them, fussing over us. I tried to batt one away and growl, as I had been very good at those in my last life, but it came out as a girlish, horribly cute whine.

Everyone cooed. My mother hugged me closer and sang with her beautifully tired voice.

Could be worse.

* * *

_"People have an annoying habit of remembering things they shouldn't." _  
― Christopher Paolini, _Eragon_

* * *

2 months old.

It is extremely, _incredibly _entirely frustrating to be a baby with the memories of a fully grown man.

Not only can I not talk, but any sort of travelling movement is out of the window. I can't even lift my head!

And I don't even want to _think _about the new nether regions.

I'll give it another year or so to get over _that _trauma.

* * *

10 months old.

Apparently I'm _very _clever, according to Mum, or rather Okaa_-san. _

Yeah you guess it. The reason I couldn't understand her singing was because its in fricking _J__apanese. _You know, in a completely different _continent _to Poland!?

Grr.

Another thing, I'm still not down with the whole sex change thing. Believe me, I've never had a problem with homosexuals, trans-, pan-, whatever, but I wasn't planning the op for _myself _ok!?

At least I like the food. I mean, the baby food isn't amazing, just mashed rice and fruits and milk, but I can smell the normal food all the time and_ my fucking god it's smells amazing. _

I think my Dad is a chef or whatever.

Anyway, so the rentals think I'm some sort of genius, garbling syllables like a parrot and crawling around already. Perhaps I _should _have been more cautious, but really, who's gonna look at me and guess I'm a reincarnation? Honestly people.

* * *

2 years.

You know what, I think I've got this whole language barrier thing sorted now. It's kinda cool being bilingual, even if I'm pretty sure that I'm in _feudal _Japan, so I can't expect ask for the next bullet train to the airport.

I suppose I could always go on a pilgrimage and visit my ancestors in Poland.

And get this, my Otou san isn't just a chef, he owns a ramen stand, how cool is that?!

I think I've accepted the whole being a girl thing. It's kinda hard not to when you're constantly called 'daughter' and 'little girl' all the time. Not to mention the fact that Okaa san is constantly dressing me in floral baby dresses.

I literally have lost all meaning of the words 'balls' now.

From what I could see, I looked pretty similar to my old baby photos from '82. Same dark hair that was curling and growing quickly, with blue eyes. Familiar, oversized lips, wide temples and strong nose. My Otou san was called Teuchi Kurosawa, with similar features to me but for his dark eyes and leathery tan. Okaa san's real name was Hotaru Kurosawa and always had her brown hair up in two buns, her hazel eyes wide and almond shaped. I had no idea where the blue eyes came from, but I guessed that was a reincarnation thing.

And finally there was my older sister Ayame, who (you guessed it) had brown hair and eyes. She was almost 6 and had a habit of treating me like a pet, constantly playing with my hair and hugging me until I lost my temper and bit her.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Coach would be laughing his ass off if he saw me now.

I wasn't particularly sure where in Japan we were. As a 2 year old with over protective parents and the inability to out run tanning cats in the sun, all I really knew were that we lived in a village, the ramen stand always had a rush of people at meal times so that Okaa san had to take me inside so she could confine to my own snuggly cage of despair and boredom (i.e. my cradle) and that it was hot _all the time. _

As a born and bred Polish (ex-) citizen, I was used to comfortable breezy summers and harsh, cold winters. I was not ready for hell's cooking pot. Jesus, no wonder everybody wore sandals. Those toes needed as much breeze as they could get.

It was strange, having a family in general, not just a new one. In my previous...time on Earth (thank god that's still true), I was a foster kid, lived a fairly boring and domestically comfortable life with the foster parents until I could leave and barely kept in touch. I suppose you could say I wasn't a very sentimental guy.

I blame Okaa san's singing, and Otou san's cooking, and Onee san's hugs.

And the whole oestrogen thing.

Of course, I couldn't live in bliss forever. Whatever high forces that had sent me here just couldn't leave it at that, oh no.

One day, after successfully rocking my cradle back and forth enough for it to fall over, sending my tumbling out of the room, I managed to waddle outside to the stand again. I wasn't allowed in the kitchen area that was directly attached to our house's entrance, so I wasn't too surprised when i heard my father's voice sound out above me. _"Musume,_ what are you doing here? Come, come with _chichi_ now!" I grumbled and tried to stumble away, but to no avail. Soon I was lifted and sat upon his hip, his brilliant 'omg-I'm-a-dad' smile meeting my grumpy 'I'm-a-30-year-old-dude-in-a-little-girl's-body' glare. Of course he just laughed and kissed my forehead. "Off on another adventure? Not now I'm afraid, it's time for beddie byes Tora-chan!" He cooed.

Dear _lord._

"Hey Teuchi-san, this your kid?" One of the customers asked.

"Sure is!" Otou san puffed up with pride and his 'look-at-this-kid-I-made-her-isn't-she-so-cute' grin.

"Cute kid." Another said. "What's her name?"

At this point I took to opportunity to try to wrestle out of Otou san's grip with my own high pitched howls and lisped '_Let me down, let me down!"_

My father chuckled, now using one had to flip over the food in the pan. "We named her Tora, after my wife's mother. Apparently she had quite the temper as well."

One of the darkly dressed young men leaned over to waggle a finger in front of me. With a defiant glare, I grabbed it with a tight grip. "Wow, strong child you got there!"

Otou san shook his head quickly "I wouldn't-"

I stared right into the man's eyes and pushed his finger in between my new molars, biting down _hard. _His scream was sadistically pleasing.

Eventually I was pried off the customer and chastised while the man's friends howled with laughter. Huffing at the telling off, I peered over my father's back and blew a loud raspberry at the scowling man. It was quite gratifying to see his eye twitch even more.

"_That's _the other reason we call her Tora." Otou san cheerily said as he served the fresh bowls of ramen. "Tora-chaaan, apologise!"

I glared at him, arms crossed as I sat on the counter. "No. N O spells NO! _No no no no-" _I began to sang, until I noticed one of the men adjusting a wide headband on his forehead, the rectangular metal displaying a familiar looking leaf symbol. And much to everybody's horror, I uttered my first curse word. "Kuso!"

* * *

**Okaa san - mother**

**Otou san - father **

**Onee san - elder sister**

**Tora - tiger**

**Hey there folks, thanks for reading this story so far! **

**I know, I know, it's the dreaded SI ****fic, there are far too many around, I just could help my self (eep ^_^) but I'm hoping you guys will stick around for the spin I'm adding. **

**I will say now this _is _going to have a pairing, but at the moment, it's not confirmed. **

**Please tell me your thoughts! **

**Love, **

**Renzin xo**


	2. Training For The Inevitable

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, only my OCs and this story (as well as the cover image).**

Chapter 2

* * *

_"If you can't go back to your mother's womb, you'd better learn to be a good fighter." _

― Anchee Min, Red Azalea

* * *

As you can imagine, the aftermath of that lovely little turning point in my life was rather grim. It involved lots of professing of apologies on Otou san's part, lots of scolding and imprisonment in the depths of hell (my crib) from Okaa san and several days of having panic attacks and wishing that somewhere there was an ice cold beer with my name on it.

I would've _killed_ to see a Bear Grylls survival show one more time.

And oh god, how many Super Bowls would I have missed by now?!

But eventually, my mind started to calm and digest this new knowledge. I was in a fictional anime about ninjas, that I had only watched once or twice when baby sitting my buddy's daughter. She had, in a lisp not so different from my own, explained several things as we watched, like how there were several countries each with a hidden village that trained ninja, who were sort of like their police and army rolled into one. The metal bands that they wore showed which village they were from, or whether they had defected. Now that I thought about it, I remembered seeing the blonde brat the show was named after always running to our Ramen stand to eat in the show.

I didn't think I'd seen Naruto running around, but for all I knew, he may not have been _born_ yet.

Overall, this was far too complicated, and wholly unfair to dump all of this onto a toddler.

Not that the universe seemed all that _guilty_ for sticking me in this situation.

However eventually, time was the factor that finally brought me to terms with my new existence. At the very least, my dad was an awesome chef, and if I stayed a citizen, my worst troubles would be fighting off obesity.

But the idea of living a normal, domestic life...quite frankly sickened me. My head felt heavy and a nasty pulling feeling in my chest arose whenever I considered that. Once I was aware of the ninjas presence, I felt stupid for not noticing earlier. By my third birthday I was walking and talking, and the crib was too easy to escape for it to be useful.

My parents were rather surprised to find me trying to burn it behind our house with a broken gas lamp.

And so I started to sneak out even more and wander around, learning about Kohona and watching the protectors of our city. It was strange to see 12 year olds running around with their sensei's, reminding me on all the Jet Lee and Jackie Chan movies I watched about the Shaolin monks. The more I saw, the more I was certain that despite the dangerous lifestyle, I was set on becoming a ninja. I _might as well_ live this life fully and all.

There was also the idea of fighting.

I had been a boxer in my last life; it was something I did since my teens and being in the ring felt as natural as breathing. It helped me realise my worries, and enveloped me in passion that was blissful and better than sex. It was comforting even, to feel the bandages on my hands and feet and to slap powder into my palms. I was no misogynist, but there was something about fighting, pushing my body, being the _best, winning..._

I had to feel that again.

It must have been weird to witness a toddler shadow boxing in the outskirts of the forest, but each day I would practice what I remembered. It was infuriating at first; my new figure felt stiff, clumsy and moves that my mind were remembered perfectly were hard to translate into my muscles. My form as a whole was soft and weak, and hadn't felt the tearing, painful training that I had had to create the weapon my body had been before. The idea of tying my hair back was strange as well; I was used to shaving it close to the skull, but at the moment it bounced around in thick dark curls.

Of course, Okaa san and Onee san found this adorable. I think I would've broken their hearts if I had gotten rid of it.

A good thing about being a kid again was the flexibility; splits were considered a girly thing to be able to do with the people I used to know, but a) I had a vagina now so big deal and b) flexibility would help my fighting style to develop. The thing with children was they didn't really think about their limitations; if they saw someone doing acrobatics, they'd shout 'look, I can do it too!' and do so like nothing could stop them.

It was hard to accept the fact that I would have to work to get back to what I was before; almost nostalgic to be able to hold a plank for 10 seconds, or relearn to climb a tree. But there was one word that I'd be damned would _never _be associated with me - a quitter.

By the age of 6, I was feeling an inkling of my old power; my body was forming muscles and strength that looked strange on a little girl, and Okaa san was always giving me shrewd looks everytime she dressed me (I feared I would never escape those bowed, fluffy dresses). I was building up my endurance as well; every where I went, I ran. Through the streets, up and down the stairs, into the forest, anywhere I could.

Then there was this new idea of chakra. Some of the villagers thought it was made up, and that ninjas were using magic to accomplish all of their amazing feats. In a way, it was, especially compared to anything else in my old world. However there was more to it that simple voodoo; chakra was our life force (as hippie as that sounded), and thick form of energy that we could channel and manipulate.

I certainly didn't expect to be able to conjure magic frogs or snap trees in half simply because I knew more about it that other kids my age from TV; it seemed to be based on meditation, having total control of it before anything crazy could be accomplished. It took a while of just simple breathing meditations that I was terrible at for a good few months to calm myself down enough to realise something _was there, _deep within the cockles of my core.

I wondered if it would have been there before in my old world.

My chakra felt chaotic, volcanic even, and I was scared at first to feel this raw power. But eventually, it became comforting to feel. I grew to understand that it was _mine _and an irreplaceable part of me. The first time I tried to channel it to move around my body, I was out for a few hours like a light bulb, with a nasty headache to boot that threw me into one of my moods for the rest of the day. But after I managed to accomplished that after countless failures, I didn't experiment any further; the theory of chakra was still foreign to me, and I didn't want to permanently damage myself because I didn't wait to be taught by actual nin.

There were always lots of other kids playing in the streets, and sometimes I stopped my training to join. The only one I knew fairly well was Keiko, a girl my age from an average ninja family of Kohona. Her skin was tanned, hair a dark inky purple and had mischievous brown eyes that were always looking for trouble that I was all too happy to join in with. She was extremely boisterous, but didn't care about getting dirty unlike my girly older sister, and told me all about the things her parents would tell her. Keiko showed me her toy kunai they had given her, and after some begging showed me how they had told her to throw it. I was eager to improve, so every time I could find her we played a competition to see who could hit the most targets.

Otherwise, my childhood was...better than the first. The idea of my own _real _family unconditionally loving me was becoming easier to accept, and our village was a safe one to grow up in.

One day, it was time for me to join the ninja academy. I was terrifically excited, ready to learn the asian take on fighting and to become great again. That morning, Otou san walked me out of the house, clad in his usual clothes sans his working apron while I trudged next to him with my hair pulled up in a pink ribbon and wearing a sunny t shirt and knee length shorts. The weather was as optimistic as I felt, and for once I wasn't complaining that Ayame was playing with the ends of my ponytail as we walked. The wall of the academy sharpened as we drew closer, a welcome banner in the arch way and a large crowd of parents dropping off children outside. I saw Keiko animatedly jump up and down in front of her father, who was a mirror image of his daughter.

I ran forward with a wide grin ready to call her name when a hand clamped on mine and tugged me away. I looked up in wary confusion at my father. "Otou san? Where are we going? School is _that _way!"

Otou san looked down at me with surprise, as if the idea of me training as a nin was unexpected. "No, Tora-chan. Your mother and I enrolled you into the village school, with your sister. Come along, you don't want to be late!"

An intense feeling of horror drained my face of colour as I was dragged away from my future.

* * *

**Thank you for all the lovely responses this story has been getting! It was a bit of a surprise, but sure as hell is inspiring :D **

**So, the road to become the greatest isn't all that simple even _before _school has started. Tora's not too happy about the change in plan so far...**

**Love,  
Renzin xo **


	3. Cue Mission Impossible Theme Tune

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, only my OCs and this story (as well as the cover image).**

Chapter 3

* * *

_"Reality continues to ruin my life." _  
― Bill Watterson, _The Complete Calvin and Hobbes_

* * *

The civilian school of Kohona was a congregation of bland souls squandering the air and the crumbling remains of my hopes and dreams.

Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. Perhaps I was not in the greatest of moods, but in all honesty, if you looked at the sand stone walls in the right lighting, the building looked like an overgrown obese cat taking a piss.

You have to see it to understand what I saying.

Otou san was officially in my hit book at the moment. He actually ruffled my hair, and had the audacity to look _hurt _when I snapped my teeth at him.

...It's just _hard, _you know? No one _understands._

God, I think teen hood came a bit too early this time around.

So despite my shrivelled heart I trudged into the school that I was meant to be 'educated' in until I could do...to be honest, I couldn't see myself doing anything other than fighting. Did I really strike anyone as an accountant? Combat was what I had lived for, and now I was being told that that wasn't an option anymore.

Despite the stereotype of heading straight into the ring after high school, I was a decent student. I only ever skived language classes (boy did that bite me in the ass now). Science and history actually interested me, and even though I could never get a good sound out of a bar chord, I liked to play the guitar, occasionally sing as well.

Of course, they were _manly _songs, like Rockstar from Nickelback, and the classics of Frankie Laine. Yeah.

I didn't flunk out and just get lucky when someone saw that I could punch straight, it was my _choice_ to have my nose broken for a living.

God how I missed it.

As I stared at the chalk scribbles of my new teacher's name on the class black board, a fierce defiance bubbled in me. Who the hell were they to take away my right to choose? I was a god damn (give a moment for the mental math) 35 year old guy, and even without the extra 6 years in this life, I was old enough to fucking vote, and drink, and become a mormon! No one could tell me shit!

YEAH!

* * *

Outside the mind of Tora Kurosawa, her body was sitting straight in her chair as she balanced on the end, several little fingers crossed on her desk. With a sparkling look in her eye, she raised her hand. "Sato-sensei, may I be excused to the bathroom?"

The greying teacher hummed, tapping her pencil against her hip. She eventually fell for the little girls wide eyed, pouting face. "Be quick, Kurosawa kun." She internally melted when Tora's face broke out into an adoring grin and she practically skipped out of the classroom with a gushing thank you. The class watched her go, a young boy sitting at the front certain that she smelt of sunshine and roses as she passed. _Must have been all the ramen_, her teacher mused.

Outside in the deserted hallway, Tora leaned against the wall gagging. "_Never again." _She vowed, forcing a burp for good measure. After tightening the straps of her sandals, she ran out the back entrance of the school back towards the ninja academy.

* * *

Ignoring the feeling that reminded me of my crumbling morals, I hurried along the streets of Kohona, manic grin in place. Nothing could stop me, nothing would-

Wait, was that dango half price?!

A short while later, I was yet again journeying towards my destiny, mentally noting to not sit on my back pockets until after lunch. The sun seemed to gleam down, lighting up my path. I neared the familiar walls of the academy, and could practically _hear _the creation of awesomeness buzzing from inside. Nothing would get in my way, _nothing _would-

With a strangled sound of alarm I hurled myself between two detached stores and circled around, not slowing even as my feet started to skim the thickening grass of the forest. I had almost run into a ninja trainer showing the new class of kiddies around the outside of the academy, most likely for a tour. I grimaced as I stared at the back of the academy's wide walls, chewing my lip. I couldn't just join in with the other kids, I mean, these were _nin, _surely they would notice a new, unregistered face appearing half way through the day.

That left being a silent observer (until my parents came to their senses of course and realised my destiny). I grinned as I spotted a short tree leaning away from the wall, and the thick branches of another larger one inside hanging within reach. I ran over and launched into the air, scrambling up the tree like a monkey on coke. After glaring at which branch to swing onto the next tree, I slowly crawled along the wide flat top of the wall until I could lean over and enter it. I huffed as I pulled myself up a few more branches that were thicker with more cover, until I was happily crouching in solitude within the academy grounds. Much to my delight, a class was already filing out to begin their first physical session.

Perfect.

* * *

I lay in the yellowing grass patch around the back of our home, chest heaving slightly and a thick sense of satisfaction curling around me like a cat. Admittedly it wasn't ideal having to merely watch in that branch all day, unable to mimic the sensei's instruction full out, but the moves were very basic and it took a while for the other young children to grasp even the most simplest of actions. A lot of the class was more about learning rules than anything else. I got rather smug at how ahead of them I already was, even in this strange body.

At the very least it was training for being able to stay incognito for a long time. My legs were horribly cramped after all that crouching.

However if I was going to incorporate martial arts into my own skills, I needed to learn the basics. Once I had regurgitated the moves of the kata and was able to perform them with little error, I went about practicing my own familiar routine, eager to make up for the wasted morning when I _could _have been training. By the time the sky had turned to shades of magenta dancing within the burning oranges and corals, I was tired, stinking and felt like the King of the World.

My ears flickered against the grass as the sounds of the wind and approaching footsteps reached them.

"_Tora-chan_! Tora- oh there you are! What are you doing lying in the dirt? Silly girl!" Okaa san scolded. I blearily raised a head to see her a little way outside the back door, hair up and flowery apron at the ready. I waved a lazy hand before dropping my head back down again. The sun sizzled under my eyelids as I sighed contently. "Come inside and get washed up before dinner."

"Sure thing Okaa san." I called back. After who knows how long and satisfied that the sun burn was substantial enough, I got to my feet and made my way inside. I brushed the astray weeds off of my clothes and hair, discarding those without flowers on my way, before joining my mother in the kitchen. I smiled and presented them to her. "Aww, aren't you a sweetie." She cooed, hurrying to find a space for them. "How was your first day?"

I shrugged and tried to pass off the cackle as a light airy chuckle. "Oh, nothing much. Normal day, I suppose."

Okaa san kissed my temple. "What a _good daughter_ you are. Now shoo! Go cleanse yourself or you'll scare away your father's customers."

"Yes Okaa san." I chorused, sprinting upstairs to lock myself in the bathroom before Ayame got the same idea.

And just like that, I was back on track to my future.

* * *

**Cue explosion in background as Tora walks away. **

**Ahh I'm so thrilled at the lovely attention you guys are giving this story. Thank you to every one who has followed, favourited and even just read my story. Special mentions to Dulemina, PokemonNarutoLover, Kurotiger, SNicole25, Enbi, Rissa-chan, SasukeXhinataXOC and the 3 guests for your reviews! Extra hugs and kisses for you! **

**Love, **

**Renzin xo **


	4. Not As Slick As I Thought

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, only my OCs and this story (as well as the cover image).**

Chapter 4

* * *

_"Have you ever noticed how 'What the hell' is always the right decision to make?"_

― Terry Johnson, Insignificance

* * *

The next day past without a hitch. Otou san made us milk rice with steamed black beans, I soaked my sister's pillows in vinegar for trying to put her stupid make up on me in the middle of the night (honesty, I'm _6,_ and guaranteed to stay cute until puberty) and managed to catch up with Keiko after she came out of the academy.

"You want me to show you my notes?! But that would mean having to write them Tora chan!" Keiko groaned, digging her toes into the mud piles we had just created. "Besides, being a civilian won't be _that _bad. Aren't you worried that your school will tell on you?"

I scoffed. "Honestly Keiko chan, I was _born _to be a ninja."

"Your parents wouldn't say that."

"Yeah, well I don't care what they say. They're not the boss of _me." _I growled. "Besides, as far as school is concerned, I've got a raging case of food poisoning."

Keiko snorted and poked my stomach. "Oh really? How did you convince them of that if you haven't even showed up?"

I shrugged, trying to maintain my aloof _I'm all that _facade. "Forged a sick note and got my sister to give it to the office. I told her it was a field trip letter."

"And you're sure she wouldn't have read it?"

"This is Ayame we're talking about; she wears more pink stuff than _we _do."

"Point." Keiko shook her head again, her mop of indigo hair dancing in the sun. _"Fine,_ I'll write up some stuff for you, but I'm telling you now, sneaking around the academy with all our sensei's is a _stupid _idea."

"Well, if you think it's so stupid, then I bet you can't beat me in a race!" I challenged, index finger wielded like a sword.

Keiko narrowed her eyes. "That doesn't even make _sense-" _

_"_3 2 1 go!"

"Hey, get back here!"

* * *

And so I continued this new routine, blissfully unaware of how much I hadn't payed attention to the handful of times I had watched Naruto. So while I was running around, feeling awfully Hokage worthy...

* * *

While one lunchtime the bratty kids of the academy ran around in their break, the chunin teachers Suzume, Iruka and Daikoko were deep in conversation. They were perched within the recently abandoned classroom, sitting on desks by the open bamboo doors that lead to the open fields where their students played. Several trees lined the property, but one particular tree had their attention, even if they were supposedly intent on eating their lunches...

Daikoko couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll give the kid this, she's managed to stay out of sight of the others."

"Yes, all the while being arrogant enough to believe that she can escape detection from _us. _Honestly, this is why civilians are interviewed before they are entered into the academy." Suzume rolled her eyes behind her oval glasses. Her hands were busy with a small, seemingly innocent domestic knife peeling away the rind of her fruit.

"I don't think this is a normal one." Iruka said, his frown causing his scar to curl like waves along the bridge of his nose. "Check their chakra. Don't you think it feels odd for a civilian kid?"

Suzume paused. "It is strangely...developed I suppose. Maybe they have ninja in their family, but their parents changed their mind on them becoming one?"

Iruka shook his head. Daikoko interrupted, hands up to gesticulate. "You tell us, Iruka san. You're the one with chakra sensing thingy up your belt!"

"It's an _echolocation technique_ baka, and don't speak with your mouth full!" Iruka scolded, a wave of deja vu passing over him.

"You're just jealous that I got the last chicken bento box at the market today!"

"As if!"

"_Boys! _Enough squabbling in the play pen." Suzume snapped. Satisfied with their silent pouting, she cooly said. "What are you suggesting, Iruka san? Do you want to induct them into this year's recruits?"

Iruka tilted his head. "Perhaps. I know it's not common to add a student in after the year has started, but it's barely the end of the first week."

"I suppose it _is_ interesting that not even one of the clan kiddies have noticed our little spy. What did you mean by weird chakra?" Daikoko asked, arms crossed with one hand twirling the hair on his chin. He had never had a great interest in chakra sensing, preferring his physical skill set.

"It's unusually strong for someone that age. Nothing like..." Suzume trailed off, her head darting over to watch a blonde headed child run like a mad chicken around the grass.

Iruka nodded. "Not as strong as that at all, and the levels are constantly spiking. They obviously have no idea that their chakra is giving them away."

"That's just _cute."_ Daikoko sniggered.

"But it also feels...odd."

"Odd?"

"...Odd." Iruka confirmed, unsure how to describe it. The three chunnin fell into a collective silence to ponder this new information. Eventually, as he noticed the clock and began to fear away his food, he announced. "I think I'm going to have a word with our little spy's parents once class is done for the day."


	5. Lets Just Sweep This Guilt Under The Rug

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only this storyline, my OCs and my artwork.**

Chapter 5

* * *

_"The visionary lies to himself, the liar only to others."_

― Friedrich Nietzsche

* * *

After the last class was dismissed, I trampled down my familiar escape route and began to casually stroll down the dust paved street, hands in my pockets and debating whether or not to buy some uiro for the arduous walk home. I should have known something was up when I felt the urge to hum a suspenseful 'I'm being watched' tune.

The house was as ordinary as ever; the sounds and smells of the open family business greeted me even as I ducked Ayame aiming for a kiss on my forehead and took the stairs up to our room two at a time. It took only a few moments to throw my bag onto my bed and push open the second story window. After assuming a sitting position with my legs hanging out, I curled my forearms around the pipe lining of the roof above my head and pushed myself onto my feet. Adrenaline started to pump through me; this was a routine I had been doing for the past month to get over my aversion (don't you fucking judge) of heights. After all, what ninja would I be if I couldn't scale buildings?

It only took me over a week to manage to stand on my window sill.

There was a tree within reach once I had managed to slowly swivel back to face the window from the outside and rather gracelessly clamber onto the roof. I moved as linearly as I possibly could with bent knees along the length of the tiles, swallowing down my screaming self preservation enough to run the last three steps and leap into the foliage. Of course, the first time I tried this I had travelled on my knees along the roof and gingerly _step_onto the first branch, but it was progress all the same.

Landing was fairly low risk and resulted in nothing worse than a pair of stinging hands and the urge to hurl everywhere. Several deep breaths had to be taken before I could relax my grip to fall down into a crouch on a close branch directly below. From there on I would cautiously drop down until my feet met the ground. As pedantic as it was, I knew eventually I'd get over my habit of happily climbing up as high as possible only to be stuck having a panic attack at the top with only one way down.

* * *

Iruka watched from another tree further away in the clearing that the little girl was practicing. He had to admit, it was both fairly entertaining and cute to watch.

...But also odd...very odd, one could say.

He had to admire the child's rather mature determination. After yet another day of (partially) invisible participation of the academy, she had returned home to begin yet another training session, though Iruka was bewildered trying to work out where she had learned this more thuggish style of fighting. It involved a lot more bouncing about and heavy attacks from what he could tell, and yet she had clearly performed several sequences of katas in this style, disproving any notion that some older street kid had taught her. He was fairly certain that there were no gangs that had survived enough in Kohona to even attempt to design any such legacy to teach. Perhaps she had seen some genin train and then incorporated what she had seen with that of a civilian brawl? Yet her movements seemed far more disciplined...

_Luckily,_ she was smart enough to not need his intervention to prevent her falling to her death or severely straining any muscle groups. As silly as it may have looked to any nin who had graduated from the academy, the steady, calculating pace that the girl was taking was yet another surprise to witness in a child; he had half expected her to crawl back through the window again.

Eventually, the girl collapsed dramatically onto the overgrown grass, panting heavily with her eyes up to the waning sun. She arched her spine as she rolled onto her front again with a satisfied, feline groan, before forcing herself back to stretch out her taught muscles. Iruka hummed in approval; at least she was competent about the dangers of warming up or not cooling down properly. There were several moment dedicated to shaking out the leaves from her mane of hair and plucking twig from her mouth, before she climbed back up the tree, hopped onto the roof and eased herself back into her window.

_Definitely needs to be more aware of her surroundings _Iruka thought with amusement - she had no clue that she was being watched the entire time. But still, he had seen enough to head in the direction of the Hokage Tower to request an audience.

* * *

There was a faint rumble of a new voice Tora didn't recognise. She was sat in the bedroom she shared with Ayame, mouth paused mid chew with a river of mustard sauce running down her chin. A few moments later, the stove at the front of the store was turned off, its loud vibrations no long shaking the entire property with its familiar humming. Several moments of internal debate passed before Tora abandoned her snack and slunk as quietly as she could to the narrow staircase, crouched against the banister.

"...issing school...academy...transf..."

Tora seized up with tension as the muffled conversation seemed to form a topic; from the usually loud voice of her Otou san and the sharp pitch of her Okaa san, Tora had a sinking feeling that someone from her school had visited due to her absences. It seemed that several weeks of no show was considered truancy.

"...necessa...rodigy...lution..."

She started when something creaked behind her, her head whipping around sharply, before narrowing her eyes and hissing. "Ayame! What the hell?"

The elder girl pouted, wide eyes already watery and accusing. "Imouto, why are you sneaking around again? And stop talking like a boy! What?" Ayame asked when Tora snorted, glaring when she wasn't privy to the answer.

"None of your business nee san. Go play with your dolls or something." Tora purposely turned her back in dismissal, hoping that the message would be clear.

Unfortunately Ayame only was further incensed. "'Kaa san said that you weren't allowed to pretend to be a ninja anymore after you tried to use the kitchen knifes as darts!" She wailed, her voice raising in volume. "If you don't stop now, I'll tell-hmmffff!"

"Put a cork in it baka! You give away my position!" Tora threatened, only to yelp in disgust when Ayame licked the hand that was covering her mouth. She grabbed her dress and pulled it over her head. Ayame shrieked and started to kick her legs out at Tora as she tried to free herself, causing the younger girl to fall backwards down the stairs with surprised, wide eyes. At the last moment she grabbed onto Ayame's outstretched leg, causing them to both tumble down in a pile to the bottom of the stairs with a resonating crash.

Tora's face was pressed sideways into the floor, her fierce scowl promoting the puggish look. She raised a fist to swing back to Ayame when the door to the living room swung open to reveal a man she recognised as an instructor from the Academy, her hysterical mother and her father who she had never seen so angry. As the three adults stared at the two girls, one mid attack and the other in gails of tears and phlegm, Tora had a sinking feeling that she may have been a little too arrogant in her stealth skills.

_Give me a break..._

* * *

_"..._Can't _believe _you would be so dishonest, lying to our faces for _weeks on end! _Do you have no shame?! Do you even care how hard we work to make sure that you have everything?" My Okaa san yelled. Ayame was sitting on the sofa, practically leaching onto our Otou san for attention as he applied a plaster to her scraped knee, while the academy instructor stood next to the window, looking as if ending up in the middle of our family argument was the last place he wanted to be.

Of course, with my smart ass mouth, I couldn't help but mumble "Education in Kohona is free."

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" She screamed, breathing erratically with eyes that were painful to look at. I flinched as a wave of heavy guilt washed over me, even as I knew I would've repeated my actions. "Do you know how lucky you are? To be in a village so safe, where we can let you play in the streets with Keiko, where there's a roof over your head? When I was a child, WE HAD NOTHING! I was raised on the border with the threat of bandits and rouge nin. Your Otou san had to teach me how to write everything but my own name! He works everyday to make sure we can live here, and what do you do? Lie and sneak about, practically spitting in our faces!"

I wasn't much of a crier. I wasn't even sure that I had done much of it even as a baby, and in my past life, my parents were never really this invested to tell me off enough that I was practically choking on remorse. I had always figured that I was lucky to have parents that let me do what I wanted, but as I grew older I realised that they simply hadn't cared. I was resentful, but accepted this years ago.

Now there were hot tears stinging my eyes, my cheeks red and flushed with anger. I couldn't meet anybody's gaze, because there was so much more to this telling off.

However now I was having to adapt to reality again, not only to a new world, gender and culture, but to a new family that _wanted _me, and _loved _me to the bottom of my hearts. I couldn't tell them that there was no need to constantly monitor me, because I knew of the dangers a 30 year faced, and not of a preteen. After years of being able to leave an empty apartment in the middle of the night without calling anybody, I suddenly had to sneak out of my window to even go on a walk on my own.

Now there were hot tears stinging my eyes, my cheeks red and flushed with anger. I couldn't meet anybody's gaze, because there was so much more to this telling off.

Hell yes it was a pain; it felt demeaning and was damn annoying to have people think that I couldn't look after myself or make my own decisions, but it was because they _cared. _Quite frankly, I wasn't at all used to people being so close to me.

"Why didn't you just tell us?" Otou san said quietly, his unbearably sad tone like a whip. It was the _disappointed voice_. I started hiccuping and shook my head. "You need to talk to us, Tora. Everyday we have to keep an eye out for you. Do you know what this means? Nothing that you say to us can be trusted. How do you think that makes us feel?"

My parents waited for me to find my voice, and by the time I had I was angry again. Angry that a nin, someone who was everything I was aspiring to, was watching me cry; angry that everything was so _different _and I just wanted to be _home, _but I wasn't sure where that was. I felt so fucking _whiny, _and it was pissing me off immensely. "You don't _understand."_

Otou san's brown eyes crinkled. "Then _tell _us, help us to understand, musume."

"I don't want to waste my life! I don't want to live and die here, without seeing the world, and, and just _doing_ something! I want to be a apart of something great, and bigger than me! Being a ninja is what I'm _supposed _to be!" Sitting on my knees, I felt like I was begging them to understand, even though I was basically shitting on having a normal life like theirs.

"Don't be a fool, child!" Okaa san raged, her hands shaking with vigour. "We're _civilians-"  
_

_"I'm NOT!" _I screamed, sharp enough to make myself flinch. By this point Ayame and the academy nin were also staring at me with wide eyes, though the stranger's gaze seemed to be searching. "You can't tell me what I am! You have no right!"

"Don't be so _silly _Tora!" Ayame snapped, glaring at me waspishly for all the disruption I had caused.

"We are your _parents!" _

"Let her prove it." Four sets of eyes landed on the academy nin, while his own gaze was locked with mine. I recognised his scar, and as I did my chest became painful. Umino Iruka turned to beseech to my parents. "You're right, civilians are rare in the academy, but your daughter's unusually developed. A normal person would be able to attempt most ninjutsu. Her chakra is far stronger, and she's already training on her own. Tora kun has a lot of potential, and she could grow to be a great asset for our village."

"Asset?" Okaa san hissed. "She could _die. _Our daughter isn't a soldier to be sent out, she's ours!"

"Hotaru!" Otou san said, getting to try to calm her down. "Perhaps if-"

"No! It's too dangerous!"

Their words began to bounce back and forth between them, mind numbing white noise. This was what I wanted, a future that would keep my past as a fighter forever linked to me. I would never forget, never fade away if I proved my worth. The thought of my name inscribed for my deeds, regardless of my fate fuelled me to leap up to my feet. With a ferocity that was driven by my decision, I declared to Iruka "I'm in."

There was a heavy silence. Iruka nodded solemnly before my Okaa san started to scream again. This time my Otou san cut her off. "Hotaru, Tora obviously feels strongly about this. Why don't we listen to Iruka? Let her join and see if it's for her. If she passes, then we know that she has made the right decision. If not then she'll have to join the year of students at the school after her without complaint."

Okaa san glared furiously at her husband, Iruka then at me. "She will be safe at the academy?"

Iruka immediately answered to sooth her nerves. "Most assuredly. They would be assigned any missions until after graduation, and the academy is filled with chunin at all times. It's the centre of Kohona. There is _no_ possible danger."

She chewed her ring finger for a moment before pinching her brow. "Fine. But I swear to Kami, if you fail the first time, there will be no other chances. We'll send you straight to the school and there won't be any going back."

"I get it."

Otou san growled. "Be respectful, musume."

"Hai. Gomen, Okaa san, Otou san. Sorry for the trouble Iruka sensei." I bowed, noting that this was probably the politest I had ever been as far as I could remember.

After Iruka said his goodbyes and gave sincere apologies, he took me aside before leaving. I stood barefoot on the dry ground outside, staring at his sandals as the blades of grass rested against them. He paused, then crouched like a frog so that he was closer to eye level. "That was quite a statement you made, Tora kun. You understand the responsibility that you've accept now, ne?"

I nodded curtly, still red with embarrassment that her had seen me cry. "Hai, sensei."

He hummed, pausing to look back at the house. "How did you know my name?"

I repressed a flinch and lied quickly, ignoring the fact that I had just been verbally spanked for doing so. "I heard it at the academy when I was..."

"Sitting in a tree and copying the other kids?"

"...Hai, sensei."

To my surprise, Iruka chuckled. "As impressive that it is you've managed to pick it up so quickly, you really need to work on your stealth. You do know that we can sense your chakra? Especially _uncloaked_ young chakra, right?"

"...Iie..." At my mortification, he laughed outright.

"Well, I suppose that's just another thing you'll learn about. Not for a while though." Iruka's face grew serious, his scar flattening out. "You understand that you've set a bar now, ne? You have a mission, Tora kun, to study your hardest and make the village proud, as well as your parents. It's not all about physical performance, you have to study hard."

I straightened my spine, my eyes glowing at the challenge. "I'll be the best student there is, sensei. You'll see for you own eyes!"

Iruka cocked his head a little, and I became heavily curious about what he was thinking. "I'll look forward to seeing that, Tora kun. I expect you to be on time tomorrow, hai?"

"Hai!" I exclaimed with a crooked grin.

He finally stood up and turned to go, but before I could make it back into the house, I quietly swore when he called back "Oh, and use the front gates this time, Tora kun!"

* * *

**Eh, long time no see... Exams and all :P **

**SO FINALLY! Tora is on her way to ninja academy! ****Kyaaa! About time! **

**A little/rather a lot of emotion in this chapter, it turned out to be a lot more dramatic than I expected, but I wanted to establish A) Tora's still allergic to love and emotions blah blah and b) her family's POVs about her choice. I hope Iruka didn't come out as too ooc, but to me he's such a bleeding heart with teach kids how to be ninjas and all, but at the same time as a teacher and chunin, I'd imagine that he has to think about some sort of quota for training able ninjas and such. **

**SophieNewman - 'kuso!' is equivalent to 'shit/damn!' :)**

**Thank you to all my lovely reviewers and readers, you are the life blood that runs through my typing fingers! ^_^**

**Love, **

**Renzin xo**


	6. They Never Saw Me Coming

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only this storyline, my OCs and my artwork.**

Chapter 6

* * *

"_There are no pleasures in a fight but some of my fights have been a pleasure to win_." – Muhammad Ali

* * *

My target had finally reached the gates of the Academy; slowly, but surely, my muffled steps closed the distance between us until-

"Hey Imouto chan! You forgot your lunch!" Ayame's voice carried across the open road. Keiko jumped in surprise turning to find my hand precariously positioned over her head. Her eyes turned to slits; she grabbed the rotton egg in my grasp and (faster than I was willing to admit) stuffed it into my mouth.

"Too slow, dobe."

_"MPHHH!"_

* * *

I suppose that Ayame does have one benefit of being so damn girly - she _always _carries gum and breath mints on her. Thanks to her, I was able to proceed on my day with a stupidly smug looking Keiko and the innocently sharp aroma of good dental care on my mouth.

"I've got to hand it to you Tora, I didn't expect you to be able to convince your parents to let you switch schools. Finally got bored of all the splinters?" The purple haired midget teased as we strolled along the wooden floored hallway. The various class rooms all had bright coral doors with corresponding room numbers, and the creamy walls regularly produced interludes of child friendly posters and directory signs.

I sniffed at her underestimations of me. "I figured I'd see what the chairs inside felt like. And I didn't talk to them by myself; Iruka sensei visited and _requested _that I transfer."

Keiko's head snapped back to me, then scoffed. "Of _course_ he did_." _

_"_Don't believe me?" I scowled, pushing past her to walk into class 1A first. "See what he says when he sees my _oh so _familiar face!"

The door slid open with a dramatic snap, drawing the eye of every present child. Now considering I'm a few years out of a career that required me to wrestle half naked with other half naked men for a shiny belt (and boy would I never admit to that out loud), I'm not exactly a victim of stage fright. These kids however, _yeesh, _laser eyes or what.

"Common tree hugger, you're blocking the entrance." Keiko drawled, dragging me along by the forearm to what I assumed was her normal bench of seats. Currently it was empty save for a boy at the other end, and being the middle row halfway up the elevated area was capable of rough 8 or so kids.

"Tree hugger's a _terrible _nickname."

"Well maybe that's why I called you one."

"...That's not what I meant but you know what? I'm not sharing my highlighters with you." I declared. Keiko scowled as we proceeded to unpack our supplies. Her pencil case was transparent with a green zip that matched her notebook. Mine...was pink. Correction, it _was _pink (obviously the cause of being dragged around by Ayame, who seemed to be dragging me around for 'bonding' even more than usual; I suspected that Okaa san was the cause of all that), but with the help of a thick black marker, the previous colour was only visible through the holes of my scribbling. The artificial scent of the marker was now permanently embedded into my bag as well.

Let me tell you, the Kurosawa residence was a cold roadstop to hell this morning. Apart from Otou san who gave me my usual morning kiss on the head, no one said a word. My mother had violently dropped a bowl of seasoned rice and mung beans in front of me and had bestowed a rather dark glare when she saw what I was wearing - baggy red tori trousers with a stripe of black on the outside, a black wife beater top (which sent an annoyingly nostalgic surge of emotion to run through me as those colours were the same as my old fighting costume) and roomy new ninja sandals. Shopping for this stuff must have been the funnest I've ever had in a shop, even if my walking cash machine (aka Dad) kept looking around the ninja supply chain with a very solemn gaze.

Of course, Okaa san's reaction was far more negative. Something about looking like a boy (if only), death tolls on the job and ungrateful daughters.

Honestly, she should be grateful that I've come to really enjoy having long hair. I understand why girls always go on about it - it's so _versatile! _

Eventually students began to trickle in and our sensei appeared - none other than Iruka sensei. Immediately I shot up from lying against the desk and flashed Keiko a toothy grin. She in turn raised a skeptical eyebrow, which gave into twitching in an attempt not to frown when Iruka sensei _did in fact _return my smile when calling my name out for the register.

On that front, it seems that I was either younger or older than Naruto's class. No dog or bug like boys, no angsty one man clan prodigies or blonde brats to be seem, though there _was _a male Hyuuga present. Other than his long black hair and haughty expression, there wasn't much that caught my attention. For all I knew the next Hokage was in the room (and I don't mean Naruto); I had watched while babysitting at the most 4 consecutive episodes.

Our first lesson was an anatomy one, which was spent with me making notes twice the speed of everybody else as I tried to copy down Keiko's notes on what I had missed at the same time. Bizarrely, in addition to what I was taught in my past life (still not used to that thought - the girl thing is kinda down now), there were new systems for chakra, which interestingly enough differed depending on nature.

Once I had managed to finished the most atrocious set of notes in kanji ever (Keiko: are you sure you don't want to be a medic?), Keiko decided that as a clan child it was her civic duty to point out all the note worthy kids in the class. As well as the Hyuuga, there was one or two other children pointed out, but non that I could remember previously. When Keiko reached the final child, a heavy scowl covered her face.

"What's wrong? Did he put snot in your hair or something?" I said, glancing between the two of them. The boy in question was deeply tanned to a russet tone, with long braids of black pulled to the base of his neck with a loose string with some sort of charm on it. There were odd tattoos that reminded me of the veins on an old corpse swirling around his hands, which were drumming lazily against the desk. Despite almost being horizontal on his chair, there was a superior air around him. He reminded me of a Nara, though there was something...unsettling about him. His eyes were half lidded under sharp brows.

"Ametsuchi Akuma." Keiko practically spat out.

With an unsure voice (I wasn't really used to hating anybody _that _much). "'Demon of the Heaven and Earth? That's a little..."

At the sound of his name, Akuma raised his head half a fraction to stare at us with a set of hazel eyes. They were the rare kind that existed even outside the anime world, with a base of forest green surround by a burgundy rim and with boiling orange and gold in the centre. They reminded of my ex girlfriends'. She was a fan of books, cats and cheesecake. I didn't think there would be much of a resemblance other than optically.

Akuma's voice was the epitome of better than thou sarcasm. "Ah ah ah, you'll want to watch where you wield that tongue, Mitarashi. Wouldn't want to wake up one morning and find it _missing." _His eyes briefly flicked to me, and much to my irritation, dismissed me easily.

_Why that little-_

_"_Turn around and swallow your own teeth, _oni!" _Keiko snarled.

Iruka sensei seemed to finally notice the interruption to his lecture on chakra points in the hands. "You two, enough! Pay attention or you'll be staying after class today."

With a nasty smirk, Akuma returned his focus to the front. After several moments of Iruka forgetting about us and Keiko slowly steaming into her seat, I tentatively asked. "Is there something I'm missing here?"

Keiko's eyes narrowed on the head of our topic, lowering her voice as she continued. "He's just an ass. The Ametsuchi clan are pretty old, but they've only been with Kohona for one or two generations. They run one of the main blacksmiths and are known for forging long lasting weapons, but they're really renowned for their connections to dark spirits."

I blinked at her. I know I should be the last person to doubt the power of mystic forces and whatever but..."...Er, Keiko, you serious."

"Of course I am!" She snapped. I moved my highlighters out of her range of attack. "Every Ametsuchi ninja goes and gets himself a summoning contract, usually pretty rare ones. However the summons always come out really creepy and _demonic. _They're got some sort of hidden clan technique that apparently calls upon the powers of dark spirits."

"Ok...you've got to admit though, that's _pretty _cool. And you're the last to complain about clan bloodlines; doesn't yours have superman vision?" I said, my attention now half on hastily copying down what was on the black board.

"Its called Archer Eye, and _no it's not the same." _Keiko hissed. "It's bad enough that we've got a _you know what _in Kohona as well."

I paused and gave her a confused look. She sighed dramatically, and after a few moments shoved a childish doodle onto my desk. "Tell me that you at least know who _that _is."

I cleared my throat as I stared down at the scribble of a stick boy coloured in yellow and orange next to an arrow that pointed to a rudimentary fox with several squiggles representing tails. "Yeah, I do."

* * *

By lunch, we had gone through two teachers, theory lessons and a practical course on throwing kunai. Having been taught the basics by Keiko a while ago, I thankfully wasn't singled out for extra help, though I was strictly average in the class. Call me the jealous sort, but next to Keiko who was some sort of projectile throwing prodigy (knowing her clan she probably _was), _another girl called Tenten and some of the other clan kids, but I was feeling really fucking inadequate.

Yeah yeah yeah I know I'm complaining, blah blah blah finally got into ninja academy, so _sue_ me.

Lunch was pretty fun. People always said I was a little kid at heart, so it was nice to be able to actually _fit _on a swing set once again, even if Keiko said I had a compulsion to be obsessive over them. Okaa san was still angry at me, but obviously not enough to not supply me with the most delicious thermos of ramen.

...Actually that was probably my dad's doing.

Keiko seemed to get along with most (apart from Akuma); the clan kids were politically polite with her, though she seemed to enjoy the company of Tenten more. The new girl in question was one of those genuinely kind persons. She was dress in leggings and a thigh length pink dress, with her hair up in two classic buns, in a way reminding me of Haruno Sakura (only far less of a fan girl). While I ended up resorting to my usually daydreaming, people and cloud watching habits (even rebirth couldn't break them), I had concluded that Tenten seemed like a cool girl to befriend.

After lunch was _my jam _however.

Practical lessons baby; a half day dedicated to the gym.

Gym.

Gym.

GYM.

Naturally, I wasn't the only one in my element. Though I was no sprinter and was over taken fairly quickly, Daikoko sensei was happy enough to mention my good stamina by the end of the first hour, in a way that must have been his approval of my presence (score). It had main consisted of team races, stretching warm ups and standard drills.

But then the most amazing part of my second life came around.

Fucking _taijutsu _training.

Ok, so I had pretty much worked out Kohona's basic style so far; it was similar to karate, except the stance was lower and the hands further away from the face. While I had been relearning all that I remembered from my last life as a mixed martial artist and working on my muscle memory, I had managed to get the basics down. Granted, in the academy, I was going to learn the katas _properly _and all, but no way in hell was I going to let go of a life times' knowledge on other styles just because they didn't _fit in. _

Have I mentioned that a passion of mine was fighting? Right, well alongside that, was my studies of new styles and the cultures they were incorporated into. Despite not going into an academic job, I was always that kid who ckept notebooks on _everything, _thought research was fun and had probably left enough studies on defence behind to become famous after death or something (hey, let me dream, alright?). Primarily, I was professionally trained in muai thai and krav maga; Coach was an especially violent man who always seemed to _just _stay in the limits of a legal fight when it was public, and that had translated into my rather brutal style.

Now, I know what you're thinking, don't over do it, yeah, don't worry. _Chill. _I got this.

Daikoko sensei told us to get into pairs. Keiko magically reappeared next to Tenten. Don't get me wrong, we always train together outside of school and all, but Keiko doesn't really see the benefit of practicing taijutsu with me.

Whimp.

So after a short awkward 'lets be partners', I end up with some brown haired boy who seems to think even the wind will blow me over, which is kinda of unobservant of him, considering how oddly muscular I am for my age (insert hair flick). After tightening my pony hair and wrapping it up into a bun, I relaxed into my stance.

Nameless boy frowned at my stance, huffed and assumed the Kohona stance.

Ok, I know that people don't know that I'm an amazing work traveller, but back the fuck up, what's with that look?

WHY DO PEOPLE ALWAYS UNDERESTIMATE TORA?!

Which is me.

A sore point, as you can see.

As soon as Daikoko sensei called for us to start, I slid forward, faking a punch to the ribs. Nameless swung his arm down to block (admittedly he was fast), leaving his face open.

Bam.

Childish squeal.

Nameless stumbles backwards clutching a bloody nose.

I catch Keiko's eye and grin manically. My purple haired friend shakes her head and is the only person in the lesson to not continue staring at little old me.

Bitches wishing they were me.

**Yo. **

**Duh duh duh duh duh duuuuuuuuh **

**= chapter 6! **

**...I don't really have much else to contribute...**

**Other than how much this chapter fed Tora's ego?**

**Floneora - thank you for telling me that! Man, you learn something new every day, huh? :D**

**Love, **

**Renzin xo **


	7. Would You Prefer Death By Blade Or Axe?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only my artwork, OCs and this story. **

Chapter 7

* * *

The air was swirling lazily against the tanned stones and slim grasslands of Kohona, as it basked under the familiar tulip clouds of dusk. Since our hero's first day on her journey to being a ninja, it had been several weeks that had blurred blissfully together.

But lo, gentle readers of the inter web! Before we continue accompanying our hero, let us observe a rather familiar ramen restaurant not too far away...

Umino Iruka pursed his lips to suck in the final string of noodle on his chopsticks, his insides warm and humming at the wonderful food. The seat next to him had been recently vacated by a certain blond haired student of his with such haste that it was still spinning at the momentum. As usual, compared to his company, Iruka was only on his second bowl, while a pile of perhaps a dozen sat in front of the still moving seat next to him.

A slight shadow fell over him, and Iruka looked up to smile at Teuchi, who was drying off a newly washed pan in his hands. "Ah, Iruka san, how are you? It's been a while since you and Naruto kun have dined together here." The older civilian said with a crinkled smile.

Iruka bobbed his head as he swallowed politely. "Well, you know how it is, what with Naruto doing extra hours after that last prank." He sighed, collecting some more ramen onto his chopsticks. "I swear, if he was as strategic in class as he was with those damn pranks..."

Teuchi chuckled. "Ah, don't be too hard on him. Kids need to be allowed to go a little crazy sometimes. Speaking of, how's my daughter doing?"

Iruka stiffened a little. He should have known this would happen, but it wasn't as if dining with Naruto gave them many choices without being almost immediately thrown out or denied. The chunin composed himself and answered, happy at least that he was talking to Tora's father and not the (supposedly crazed) mother. "Very well, actually. Your kid's a hard worker, Teuchi san."

The ramen stall owner beamed with pride. "That sounds like her. It's the only thing she thinks about, nowadays, school, training and food." Teuchi grimaced as he continued. "We all know its only because she cares, but my wife isn't taking it too well. We rarely get through a day without Tora chan storming out the house and her mother breaking the new kettle. Not that those things are cheap. And my older girl doesn't particularly understand Tora either; those two think that if they smother her enough in feminine clothes and treats she give up her dreams."

"And are _you_ ok with Tora chan becoming a nin?" Iruka questioned.

Another sigh before Teuchi answered. "No, to be honest. If the day ever comes that some faceless ANBU courier tells me that I'll never see my hime again, I don't think I'll could live to the next. But if Tora is truly adamant on this, then what kind of father would I be to stop her? I want her to feel comfortable enough to ask me to watch her train, or show me her prized gear. I...I just want her to be happy. And at least it'll be while doing something noble, ne?"

Iruka smiled sadly. "That's all she wants from you, Teuchi san. You're a good man, and a good father on top of that."

Teuchi shook his head, but didn't bother arguing. "Anyway, enough of this; you were telling me about her progress?"

"Mm. Well, as I said, Tora chan's an ideal student; she listens, asks questions that the others don't think of, and shows a natural inclination to most subjects. Her friend Mitarashi Keiko tends to distract her, but then again I wouldn't be too worried about that."

"I'm glad she's fitting in. Tora chan spends a lot of time...training outside. Are you sure it isn't too much for a child her age?"

Iruka rubbed his chin. "Well, as long as she isn't attempting vigorous chakra techniques alone or using too strong weights, there isn't any problem. Many of our students from clans are taught outside of lessons as well, so it's a good thing that Tora is self motivated enough to do the same. It explains a lot actually - she's actually the top of her class in taijutsu."

"Oh? Is that the illusion jutsu stuff?"

"Nope, the kicking and punching thing."

Teuchi promptly dropped the pan he was holding. "_Honto?!"_

Iruka laughed, not feeling very guilty in the nonchalant way he had broken the news. "Really. While her accuracy and grasp of genjutsu could use a lot of work, Daikoko san, her sensei in taijutsu has been singing her praises in the staff room. She is currently holding the top spot in class, though the Hyuuga boy only trains with his clan, as well as some others. They do that to keep the clan techniques untouched and all that."

Teuchi huffed, leaning against the counter after bidding the only other customer goodbye. "Honestly, where's this all coming from? I didn't even realise I had any ninja relatives until you come along harping on about her 'advanced chakra system', Iruka san. You know, she used to be such a _sweet_ little child. A quiet little thing, but when she started to walk, _ho! _Do you know she tried to burn her old crib a while ago? I should have known!" Iruka shook his head as he laughed and listened to Teuchi's brilliant story telling. Before he made to pay, he delivered one last bombshell.

"Oh, there's one other thing Tora chan's seems to have taken an interest in - weaponry."

* * *

"Otou san, _come onnnnnn!" _I whined from my precarious position. Despite my superb guns, my dad was a pretty big chap, and so as I tried to pull him along by the sleeve, he served as a brilliant anchor for me to lean at a 45 degree angle from. Obviously, there would have been a different outcome if I had used chakra, but what kind of kid does that to their poor civilian daddy?

_Especially _since he had somehow talked Okaa san into not continuing the silent treatment.

"Musume, I'm not sure if I am the right person to accompany you to this place." Otou san said hesitantly. "Why didn't you ask little Keiko chan to go with you?"

Honestly, does he _ever_ listen? I sighed dramatically, resigning myself to trying to push him along. "I told you already! She's got clan things to do on the weekends, and besides, it's not as if you shouldn't see what sort of things I may be using in later life!"

With a heavy sigh, my father relented and followed me into the weaponry store. He gingerly stepped around the displays after I had squealed and run over to the polishing kits. "Everything looks so...lethal..."

"You can count on it! Everything in my family's store is top quality! Many jonin of the village buy from- oh Tora san, it's you."

I snorted as I made my way over to Tenten, who sat behind the counter. Her jovial persona had immediately collapsed when she saw me. "Hey, I wanna hear the rest of your speech, Tenten san. Go on, _sell _me something."

Her eye twitched for a moment, but before she could throw any nearby projectiles at me, Otou san cut in. "Are you a friend of my daughter's from the academy? I'm her father, it's lovely to meet you."

Tenten blinked, then remembering her manners, smiled cheerfully and bowed slightly. "Oh hi! My names' Tenten, Kurosawa san. Are you two shopping for supplies?"

I chuckled at my dad's very lost expression. "Na, I'm all stocked up for now. I just wanted to have a look around at what you have here; they're all so interesting, you know?"

A spark appeared in Tenten's eyes. "You bet! I've been studying weapons for most of my life. I plan on becoming Kohona's first _k__unoichi_ weapons master."

Teuchi smiled encouragingly. "Its good to hear how determined you are."

"Do you think you could walk me through what you have here, Tenten san?" I said eagerly, amazed at my good luck. Who knew Tenten and I were on the same wave length? "I'm hoping to specialise in a particular weapon to enhance my taijutsu, but learning about what I could come up against as well would be amazing!"

Tenten pondered for a moment. "Sure, why not? It'll be fun to bounce off ideas with you. If you're not busy now, I could show you around the store!"

With a nod from my father, I whooped. "I'm all for it!"

* * *

To be honest, I'm surprised that Otou san lasted as long as he did, but by the time we got to the spiked mazes, Teuchi had left after saying goodbye and telling me not to miss dinner with a rather pale face.

I wonder why.

_I _on the other hand, was in heaven! Seriously, I could _marry _Tenten around about now. And boy, did she know her stuff!

Tenten's family store contained a myriad of weapons, from the small and standard kunai, shuriken and senbon to rarely seen axes, pretty kinky looking chains and a variety of swords. By the end of it all, I had the _worst_ hand cramp from trying to note it all down while she narrated the history, styles and notable uses of every weapon in the store.

"Fucking hell, you sure you down want to write a book about this?"

Tenten laughed, before pulling out a purple hardback seemingly out of thin air. "Oh, well we _do _have this wonderful guide for only-"

"I'll take it!"

As you can see, I was a pretty easy customer.

Apart from when she went to assist the occasional customer, I spent my entire time gazing longingly at the beautiful craftsmanship until Tenten's shift was over. "I can't thank you enough Tenten san; how about we go and get something to eat? My treat!"

And so we found ourselves on a park bench eating mango ice cream. After chatting about school, the sticky heat and Keiko's latest ranting spree, we ended up on the subject of weapons again. "... I mean some of the designs you have there are so innovative as well!"

"Well, while my family is a popular distributer, we don't actually _make_ our stock. Most of it comes from the Ametsuchi's blacksmith; there's a lot of business between our families." Tenten said thoughtfully as she started to chow on her cone.

I stared up at the clouds at this revelation. "That's Akuma's family right? I'll bet that's some good quality forging. Say...what are the chances I can butter him up enough to talk to me about it?" I queried in a half joking manner.

Tenten snorted. "Really? He's worse than Hyuuga Neji! So stuck up, I doubt he'll give you the time of day."

I shrugged, having already come to that sad conclusion. "Yeah, well I'm sure I can find something to get him talking."

Tenten rolled her eyes, deciding to change topics. "So, have you decided what you want to specialise in yet?"

"Not really. I mean the swords were pretty beautiful, especially those katana, and I'm interested in how I can distribute poison with a weapon, but I don't think I want anything too small like senbon."

"Well what about chakra enhanced weapons? There's a couple of ninja in the village known for them, but you do have to have really good reserves and control from that. Iryo nin often use chakra scalpels in combat." Tenten added.

I chewed my lip in thought. "That does sound interesting...how do I even find out about what element I can use in ninjutsu?"

"Well, the most common way is with chakra paper. I'm sure one of our sensei's could supply some. As for your second question, well ninjutsu users always have one chakra nature that is strongest and comes naturally to them, but it's apparently possible to train for all of them."

"Hmmm..."

It seemed like I had a lot of investigating to do.

"Well, I better head home now; Okaa san always gets mad if I'm late for dinner." Tenten said. She stood up to straighten her clothes. I mimicked her and threw away my tissue in the bin nearby. "Yeah, I should do the same. If it's dark by the time I get back, they'll be some pissed off ninja regulars in the search team."

Tenten laughed. "That bad huh? Anyway, I had fun today Tora san. Come visit whenever you want - and when you decide on that weapon, I want a match, alright?"

"Yeah, you got it!" I was reluctant to leave, but there wasn't much point in wandering around without Tenten at this time of the day.

"You know, you're kind of lucky that you only want to specialise in one weapon." Tenten said with an odd gleam to the eye.

Instantly I became wary of how much she was acting like Keiko at the moment. "Hm? I don't really agree; I mean, it's my choice to choose, not 'luck'."

"No, not like that." She continued, moving away now. "I mean that if you were planning to become an all round weapons master, then I would have to convince you not to now. After all, I can't have anybody stealing my title as the first kunoichi weapons expert, ne?" With a smirk, she waved and walked away.

I have come to the conclusion that maybe its best to assume that ninja kids are all devious little shits that aren't to be trusted.


	8. Yeah, I Could Get Used To This

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only my artwork, OCs and this story. **

Chapter 8

* * *

_Thwack! _

"You missed _again."_

_"_Thanks for stating the fucking obvious Keiko._" _I grumbled under my breath.

The little brat was smirking, practically overflowing with her superiority complex (the irony is choking me up, seriously). "Well if it's that obvious, why can't you stop missing?"

"Well maybe I could say the same about your wimpy punches!"

"Sore loser."

"Brat."

"We're the same age, dobe!"

"No w- oh right, sure."

Keiko gave me a weird look, which I forcefully ignored to throw another set of kunai. With an exaggerated groan, Keiko started to rant. "Oh of kaki's sake! It's not that different from a taijutsu stance! You're flexible enough to follow the movement through, so stop messing it up and tensing your wrist! What kind of idiot are you to aim exactly at the target?! There's something that exists called _gravity, _ne?!"

I stared wide eyed at her panting form, before tilting my head in a way I knew she _despised. _"Huh. Why didn't you tell me all that before then, Keiko sempai?"

Flames appeared in Keiko's eyes.

"Oi, you two! Break it up!" Iruka sensei called in alarm.

* * *

"Is it broken?"

"No. Disappointed?"

"Yes."

"Well, maybe next time you won't throw such a girly punch."

"Why you-"

"GIRLS!" Iruka sensei bellowed. Keiko and I pulled away slightly, waiting for him to catch his breath. "I don't understand your ridiculous behaviour. One day you're friends, the next you're at each other's throats!"

Keiko shrugged. "I don't see the big deal, sensei; nobody's missing any limbs..."

"...and it's not as if we can be pacifist ninja." I added.

Iruka stared incredulously at us. "Is this really what you think? That being ninja means beating each other to pulp? What about the morals of our village?! The Will Of Fire!"

I snorted. As if Kohona was the strongest hidden village by just signing peace treaties. "Keiko chan and I are friends, sensei."

"We never _really _mean it." Keiko paused. "Well, not _all _of it..."

Iruka glared for a few more minutes, before throwing a hand up in the air. "Fine. Just no more fighting, alright girls?"

"Yes sensei." We chorused, already heading for the door.

"Oh and Tora chan? If I have to call you back after class again for this, I'm telling your mother."

* * *

"What's in your lunch today Keiko chan?" I queried cheerfully. Including Tenten, the three of us were leaning against the slight incline of a grassy hill, with the other academy students enjoying their break all around us.

Keiko chewed her food thoughtfully. "A little spicy for my taste, but then again Anko nee chan made my lunch today, and she never listens when I tell her I only like sweet things."

"Your teeth are going to rot before we make genin at this rate." Tenten laughed, waving her chopsticks for emphasis as I downed the rest of my lemon juice (don't strike it down till you try it my friends). "Isn't your sister too busy with missions to make you lunch?"

"Anko does what Anko wants." Keiko said simply.

My eyes started to wander around our surroundings, watching keenly. There was still no sign of the blonde brat, but all the ninja kids of this world were rather interesting to observe.

"Hey Tora san, did you ever ask one of the sensei's about that chakra paper?" Tenten asked.

"Yeah, but Suzume sensei said that we were going to start practical chakra lessons from next week, so she would have some for the whole class by then."

"I know my chakra nature _already."_ Keiko drawled smugly.

Tenten pouted. "Unfair! Who told you?"

"Duh, I'm a clan child? Naturally I know."

"Well what is it, oh superior one?" I said sarcastically.

Keiko straightened up proudly. "Fire nature, _of course."_

"Isn't that like the most common one in Kohona?"

"Shut up!"

* * *

There was a slight rattle of the tiles as I landed on the roof of my home, but I payed little attention other than to note the difference from a few months ago. Contining my path, little thought was required to complete the well rehearsed movement of entering my room through the window. Ayame had caught me a couple of times doing this, throwing a fit each and every time, but thankfully I was the only one in our room today.

After dropping my backpack at the base of my bed I closed the window and curtains, stripped and headed straight for the shower. Honestly, every time I got home, I didn't want to have something to do with anything until I had had a scalding shower, even with Kohona's sunny disposition. Please, if I can hot ramen in this heat, then I'm damn well staying there until I turn into a boiled egg.

After said blissful shower, I threw on a baggy cotton dress that brushed my calves and some sandals, then tumbled down to help my father with the customers.

Growing up for the second time was a bizarre experience; it involved sucking up enough pride to not lash out at everybody for being treated as a child and practically made hindsight a superpower. In a way, I was living on a cloud, resolutely ignoring the fact that one day I would be expected to kill and even die for Kohona. My past family, as previously mentioned were always withdrawn, as if we were all merely neighbours sharing accommodation; compared to Teuchi's every present smile, Hotaru numerous schemes to baby me, and Ayame's insistence on sisterly bonding, I can barely remember the last time I thought of the Kurosawas as strangers. I was one of them now, and if not for the life experiences I had experienced after I had started in the professional ring, I would have rather not remembered anything out of this world.

There was something also entirely liberating about being a child again. People didn't instantly attack you for making mistakes, and I knew from experience that when you became an adult it was extremely hard to convince people to care at all about you. While my childhood in Kohona would be even shorter due to my career choice, I was entirely grateful (though I still was pretty shaken from the memory of _birth)._

A creased hand fell on my shoulders. "You looked tired Tora chan. There aren't many to serve today, go up and have an early night won't you?"

As heavy as my mind felt, a strange feeling made my throat constrict. For a moment, I stared back at Teuchi, trying to memorise every detail he possessed. "I'm ok, Otou san."

Teuchi frowned, confused by my odd mood. Hesitantly, he asked. "Are you sure musume?"

"Yeah. I'm happy here."


	9. Forging A Goal

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only my artwork, OCs and this story. **

Chapter 9

* * *

_"Seeking excellence means choosing to forge your own sword to cut through the limitations of your life..." _

_― _James A. Murphy, The Waves of Life Quotes and Daily Meditations

* * *

It's safe to say that Ametsuchi Akuma was rather intimidating. I wasn't one to judge, being the only person I knew to world hop, but he was...

...kinda creepy.

He gave me the _jeebies. _Right from his cunning eyes to his perfectly braided hair and sandals that had a feeling had a couple of shuriken tucked into them.

Even if I had met him back in Poland, I would've considered crossing the street, or at least pretended to be on the phone while he passed. There was something about his eyes as well. My ex girlfriend Caren had the same type of hazel eyes, so I was used to associating them with cozy Tv nights in, making her blush and cheesecake at every cafe we found.

I was a kinda mushy guy, as you can see.

I'm sure you see my reasoning for trying to avoid eye contact, and yet knowing I had to maintain it; I knew tough guys like Akuma, they searched for the weak links and enjoyed asserting their dominance. I had had my fair share at holding my ground against jerks like that when I was the rookie at Coach's gym.

But while I usually was one to stay out of the way of conflict or not purposely paint a target on my back, Akuma just happened to be the highly esteemed heir of the Ametsuchi clan, meaning that if I wanted anything to do with studying their unique weapons designs, I needed play nice.

But as it turns out, I didn't have to actively seek out Akuma...

* * *

Keiko mashed her teeth together, her eyes flickering between the stabled test sheets on her desk and the scroll of names hanging from behind the teachers desk. To be honest, Keiko's is a solid 85% (there wasn't any sort of alphabetical marking system, though the percentages seemed to be the same as what I remembered from school - 50% a pass, 80% an average score like a B), but that doesn't seem to be good enough now that Akuma's name is on the list above her with a proud 93%. I myself (having picked up the familiar routine of doing my homework and revising notes fairly well) was content with my 89%, but I didn't want to loose my tongue by telling Keiko that.

Honestly, it wasn't even that important a test - it was our last lesson with Suzume sensei on the geographical landscape of the shinbone nations before we started the theory of chakra systems, but I don't think Keiko really cares about the details.

I'm telling you, several years from now, all this one sided rivalry between Keiko and Akuma will turn into sexual tension.

"Little _swine, _I bet one of his inbred cousins told him all the answers before class." Keiko muttered furiously.

I lazily rolled my head towards her on the desk. "There are so many things wrong about that statement, Keiko chan; first and foremost being that _you're _from a clan as well, where they actively reproduce to keep your dojutsu alive in the next generation?"

Of course I was ignored, and with a weary reluctance Tenten and I accompanied Keiko out to lunch in our usual spot. I was chowing on my marinated squid when another presence joined ours.

Akuma stared down at the three of us with a rather twisted smile, hands in his pockets and his braids shifting slightly in the breeze. "Ladies." He nodded at Keiko. "Bug eyes."

I choked on my food. Tenten turned a little red. Keiko crushed her plum in her hand.

...Her eyes _are _kind of big...

"What are you doing here you oni?" Keiko snarled.

Akuma shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh you know, I was concerned that you were feeling left out of our fun, and was wondering if you wanted to join us." He gestured to a group of boys across from us who were playing some form of bulldog or tag.

"Ermm, well mayb-"

"Not on your life!" Keiko spat. Akuma suddenly dropped into a crouch in front of Keiko and pressed a finger to her lips. Her eyes widened and narrowed dangerously. "Hush bug eyes, you're buzzing is drowning out dear Tenten."

I wheezed, using Tenten as a support to prevent hyperventilation.

Keiko glared deeply into Akuma's twinkling gaze, whispering "_Run." _

He smiled toothily, and obeyed with a leisurely jog.

I don't think Keiko even realised that she had unwittingly become the extra person in their game of bulldog.

* * *

Other than the rather humorous one sided matches between my friend and Akuma, I rarely had any interaction with him. What little time I had with him was always in the presence of Keiko, and usually only for the mutual purpose of enraging her (she was like a hissing kitten without any kunai to stick us with). Tenten and Akuma seemed to get on well, what with his off hand complements (with I totally understood - Tenten was a bit of a babe).

Akuma was well on his way to growing into a bit of a ladies' man.

That was to change however...

* * *

Something had been bugging me for a while. Well, not really. Sort of. I had somewhat accepted being referred to as a 'she', and (confession moment guys) I admit that _occasionally, _I liked wearing ribbons in my hair.

Ok, so I have no problem about admitting that when I saw drag queens strutting around in fishnets on _cobbled _streets, I held a large amount of respect for them. I wasn't planning on joining in, but sometimes I wondered...

Cough.

The point that I am trying to make (as clearly as possible it seems) is that I was going with the flow. Hell, I never had any qualms with women who could kick ass (hot!), so it wasn't as if I was going to repress my _own _training for some internal sexist dispute.

I had come to the conclusion that I could happily live a versatile life as both genders...I just wouldn't tell my mother that.

However a life time ago I had prided myself on being a _manly _man. Ayame still shrieked liked a banshee every time I walked around topless in our room (or full on naked).

There was one other thing that I missed.

As my train of thought concluded itself, I found my gaze wandering to my lap as I leaned cross legged against one of the many trees in the park, my book forgotten on the side. "The word 'dickless' comes to mind." I mused.

"Well in a technical sense that's true."

My head snapped up to find the one and only Akuma standing over me.

"Thank you."

Akuma smiled, the expression not matching his cold gaze. "So, a little birdie told me that you wanted to speak to me."

I was thoroughly confused. "Do you mean, a bug?" Surely this had to do with Keiko somehow. She was on my highlighter ban yet again.

"More like a pretty pink bird." Oh right, Tenten. "Apparently you're interested in my family business."

My expression lifted hopefully. "Yes! I've been searching to specialise in something, and I thought that perhaps I-"

Akuma raised a hand to cut me off. Seeing my suddenly pissed off gaze, he swiftly lowered it. Smart kid. "Listen Tora san. While I have no problem helping you, my family are quite selective on who they work for. It's different for mass produced, frequently used items like standard kunai or engraving hitai-ate. However to convince an Ametsuchi to forge a particular commission, that customer has to show the skill and passion we require, otherwise we consider it a waste of good steel."

I stared at Akuma, taking in his serious tone that was laced with a proud aura. He sounded like he shared the strong ethics of his clan, which made sense to me. "I understand."

He hummed, choosing to just look back at me. "Hopefully you do. It'll be interesting to see what you come up with. So what is the taijutsu prodigy thinking of?"

I resisted the urge to shift; I preferred doing the observing myself, even if I was a little dazed at being called a _prodigy. _"Something to go alongside the taijutsu, to extend my reach, but so that I can make an easy transition to close combat again."

Akuma pulled himself off the ground gracefully, quite literally leaving me in the dirt. "Don't keep me waiting for too long, Tora san."

I had no intention of doing so.


	10. Bitchiness and Chakra

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only my artwork, OCs and this story. **

Chapter 10

* * *

_"Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain."_  
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

* * *

Today was the day. The day that would forever shape my life, the pinnacle of my existence - no, _not_ my birthday. Guess again.

...Fine then, don't.

Today we were starting our chakra lessons, baby!

And boy was I pumped. I mean, the clan kids wouldn't find this new either, but it wasn't just about being the best (though that would be _awesome)! _Just the memory of the first times I had felt that chaotic boiling inside, it was enough hype in itself. It was hard to describe where the chakra seemed to be; near my stomach, around my pelvic region and abdomen, but it sent a wonderful shiver through when in my exercises I let it travel along my ribs.

Ok, so I was looking forward to seeing what chakra could be used for during..._copulation. _

_Heh. _I guess rebirth doesn't drain you from the dirtiness of the male mind.

I was practically buzzing as I rushed down to breakfast. Oh fuck, did Okaa san make spring rolls?

Oh yeah, she did. Utter bliss.

The Academy was as coral red and familiar as ever as I jogged up to Keiko's side, flashing a grin that earned me a bleary eyed scowl. Keiko was far from a morning person. "Gooooood morning!"

"Go die." She hissed.

It struck me as odd however cynical and eloquent kids in this world were, but I suppose it meant that I didn't stand out.

* * *

Suzume sensei regarded us with her usual stern and be speckled visage, hands on hips and bidding each child good morning with a worksheet by the door. On the chalk board 'Exercise books out with date and title: INTRODUCTION TO CHAKRA ENERGY'.

Keiko chewed angrily on her own tongue as we took her seat, ignoring me as I diligently copied what the board instructed us to. "You hungry or something?"

"No. I've just done all of this with my dad and sister already." She grumbled as she scanned the sheet. "This class should just be for civilian kids who don't know what they're doing!"

Ok, you know how me all have this inner egocentric bitch? Yeah, mine just came out of hybination. I stared daggers at Keiko. _Oh, it's on._

* * *

Ok, chakra is weird.

From what Suzume sensei says, I'm in the mindset that chakra = energy. As physics seems to still be working in this world (hello gravity) I'm going to assume that it's a part of that, unless certain laws are different here...

Wait. How the hell did summons work? Where the hell do they come from?!

Let's go with pocket dimensions.

Chakra is apparently in every being as a life force, however in civilians, it's weaker. There seems to be an assumption that it's mainly genetic, but if a distant relative or ancestor had ninja worthy chakra, then somehow there was the possibility of ninjas coming from supposedly normal families, though I was pretty sure that that flawed logic would make any biologist cry. In my case, there is I suppose the chance that world hopping messed something up as well.

Maybe I was brought to this world for a purpose!

...Pffft. Yeah right.

How chakra can make trees sprout and seal things away is a bit of a mystery, so I'm going to ignore that for now.

On a side note, sealing sounds like a good thing to learn.

Keiko was still being annoying, all superior and everything. She still hadn't noticed my mood, because I always ignore her when I'm trying to take notes (hey, I _like _learning thank you very much), so she was chatting away to Tenten.

Suzanne's first practical lesson came after the first theory class. She walked around to the front of her desks and called for our attention. "Alright class, listen first and ask questions when I finish. I want you to close your eyes and steady your breathing. Deepen it, and concentrate on your breaths, then clear your mind. We're going to feel our chakra first. Don't worry if you can't at first, but I don't want any complaining. Raise your hand for further instruction, and I will come to you."

Safe to say, all the clan kids were quick to move on, though I did get a few odd looks (fuck you Keiko, I'm still mad) when I worked at the same speed. By the end of the day, we were moving chakra around our bodies, and mapping on personal charts what movements felt comfortable.

At the end of class, kids swarmed out to lunch, however I hung around behind, letting Tenten and Keiko go ahead. "Sensei? Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Suzume sensei was one of the few people that I had met that made me nervous. She was a woman that possessed analysing eyes and a sharp intelligence; unlike Daikoko and Iruka, she didn't become overly soft around the edges because she was dealing with kids. To be honest, I was unnerved at how I wasn't sure if she liked me or not.

Suzume sensei looked up from her desk of papers, fingers wedged to turn pages. "Ah, Tora chan. What do you need?"

I think she's giving me stage fright..."Well, I was wondering what we were going to learn next, and err, when we're learning about chakra nature and yeah."

Wow, I sound like a surfer. But common, I'm being an over enthusiastic student, that _must _give me brownie points!

She raised an eyebrow and tilted her eyes up at me, making me want to crawl under a rock. "Well, it's nice to see such interest. Any particular reason?"

I shrugged. "No reason. Just curious, you know, _knowledge,_ woo..."

"Hmm." Suzume sensei hummed. "You seemed to have grasped it fairly well, even with your late start. Though I must point out that there is a risk of chakra exhaustion. _Do not _push yourself, alright? It can severely affect your growth at this age." I nodded earnestly, remembering the one time I had pushed myself enough to pass out. "At the academy we usually focus on channelling chakra through our own body and objects, as well as through basic genjutsu and ninjutsu. As genin you will expand this knowledge."

"What about my nature?" I pressed.

Suzume sensei pondered for a moment. "I assume you know what that is. You want to find out? The most basic method is with chakra paper."

I coughed nervously. "You don't happen to have any I could use?"

She laughed lightly, startling me. "Persistent! That's good. I suppose since you're comfortable with the class so far, there is little to worry about." Suzume sensei stood up to walk over to the cupboard by the door, inside pressing her hand to a particular draw. There seemed to be some sort of seal on it, for it pinged open enough to be pulled out. She returned after closing it again, and passed an extremely thin, almost transparent piece of cream parchment the thickness of my wrist and half the length of my forearm. "Steady your chakra, then allow it to move into the paper. Do it slowly. You have to acknowledge and feel the difference in composition between your hand and the paper."

I nodded vigorously, furrowing my brows in concentration. My fingers pressed together in either side, carefully keeping the paper smooth. There again I felt the inner warmth of my chakra, and like a routine I felt it swarm through the rest of my body hungrily, shuddering a little with my still developing control. Then finally the hum reach my fingers, making them tremble slightly. I tried at first to feel the difference in the page, but all I could feel was the barrier of my skin locking my chakra. Then I started to focus on the feel of the paper, and how thin it was to my fingers...Like a squeezed sponge my chakra poured out into the paper with a ferocity that stung.

Suzume sensei blinked. "Well, that's a surprise."

* * *

**Hey folks, anybody still out there? **

**Jeez, tough crowd. **

**I'm sorry, I really am. I'm like that person who cancels an hour before you meet up. One moment we had a routine of updates going and then fffffffttttttt. **

**All I can say is that school was drowning me, but I now only have a few days left before the holidays (woo!). I've also sent off my UCAS to universities! Wish me luck! **

**My god, I'm shocked at how I went from like 20 reviews to over 80 in a week! Thank you thank you thank you! It makes me feel so fuzzy and warm inside! **

**And for the record, I am feeling pretty evil for that cliff hanger! I'm sure you can tell I'm in a bit of a cynical, sarcastic mood from my writing XD**

** So chaps, tell me what you think Tora's chakra nature is! **

**Love, **

**Renzin xo**


	11. The Winds Smell Sour

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only my artwork, OCs and this story. **

Chapter 11

* * *

_ "A cold wind was blowing from the north, and it made the trees rustle like living things." _

― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

* * *

Suzume sensei blinked. "Well, that's a surprise."

The paper shuddered for a moment, then tore into pieces with a silent hiss. My eyes were wide enough to feel the cool air, yet my brain was filled with white noise. "This...that's good, right?" Kohona wasn't going to suddenly be the equivalent of the fire nation and hunt me down? I _really_ wasn't in the mood for that.

"I suppose it's rare for our village." She shrugged nonchalantly like nothing had happened. "You may find it challenging to find someone to teach you specific jutsus for wind, so I suggest you hone your other skills in the mean time."

"...Ok then. Thanks, sensei."

She hummed in acknowledgement, returning to her work as if I had already left. I blinked a few times at the paper in my hand, and after carefully pressing it between the pages of my notebook, hurried outside to join the other kids.

* * *

Keiko stared for a moment, her lips twitching as if they had an itch. Unable to contain herself any further, she burst into what could only be described as cackles.

I glared at her. "It's not funny."

Tenten glanced at Keiko and sighed. "Ignore her Tora, I bet wind will be very useful."

"For _what?"_ Keiko sniggered, hiccupping slightly (she wasn't a very pretty laugher or cryer). "Getting leaves off the roof?" She descended into more laughter.

"What do you know? If it's so rare here, then how could you know how limited I am?" I snapped. I knew that Keiko was catty in general, but ever since that comment about civilian kids being 'deficient' in chakra training or whatever, everything she said seemed to be getting on my nerves.

"With _fire,_ you can cause massive destruction, or if you're suffering on a cold night, you can light your own fire." Keiko retorted smartly.

"When then I'll use my wind to blow it out."

"Fire is stronger than wind, dummy." Keiko drawled.

I grit my teeth together, my patience waining. I had waited till after class to talk to tell them about my conversation with Suzume sensei, and we had decided to lounge around the park that was almost on the doorstep of my family's ramen shop. As this was a fairly common thing for us to do after class (even though I still found it odd that due to all the ninjas in the village watching us it was unlikely that anything would happen to three unsupervised seven year olds), my training routine tended to be split around dinner. If Okaa san ever complained about staying outside for too long, I would save my meditation and theory work for studying in my room, studiously ignoring Ayame every time she tried to get me to play with her.

Tenten stiffened a little at my pissed off expression, which she had never seen before (I doubt I had really truly used it in this life, but _boy_ was it a sight). I had a calm and chilled approach to life, and when stressed I tended to freak out internally while laughing it off on the outside. As of consequence, people tended to think of me as genial and relaxed, if a little loose of tongue with curse words. Tenten was observant however, and seemed to sense my short fuse.

"Guys, why don't we call it a day? I've still got to do the homework-"

"C'mon Tenten, what do you think?" Keiko interrupted, ignoring what she had said.

Tenten flickered her eyes between us in a panic. "Well, I mean it depends on the ninja right?"

"Yeah we're not talking about that Tenten, keep up. What about elements?"

"Keiko shut the hell up." I said, stuffing my hands in my pockets to resist strangling her. "No one's bothered about this, ok?"

She snorted, her purple bangs shuddering with the movement. "Don't chicken out. I just wanted to know what Tenten thought."

"Yeah well, she told you so drop it."

"You just can't handle losing." Keiko sneered.

I shook my head. A humourless laugh escaped me. "I can't believe you. You're such a fucking hypocrite Keiko."

"_I'm _a hypocrite?! Well at least I'm not kissing everyone's feet." She snarled, throwing her smaller body in front of me. As if _that_ would make me back down - I'd punched gloves with dozens of guys before a match, all bigger and nastier that Keiko. "'Oh Iruka sensei, what does this mean? Does this give me extra credit?!' Talk about a suck up."

I don't know why, but all of a sudden, the anger drained from me. I stared back at Keiko's furious form and this wave of sadness engulfed me. We were just kids, and yet there was so much of an agenda in this fight, so many repressed words tumbling out now. It _hurt._ To think that it really was a cycle; already at such a young age, we were growing to leave places in our personality for such nasty feelings and thoughts. I looked at my closest friend in this word, really looked. I knew this moment was far less important to Keiko, that I was the only one to really understand what I was feeling.

As my mouth formulated a response, I turned swiftly and ran home with a bitter taste to my mouth. Tenten looking like an abandoned dog. Keiko's face slacked jawed and red as if I had slapped her, which verbally I had.

Even when I was home at my desk, my words still slithered through my mind.

"You're _pathetic."_

* * *

It took me a long time to go to bed. Ayame had long since stopped trying to make me sleep when she turned off our lights at 8 pm, though to my distaste she had noticed my mood and forced me into a hug that was supposed to comfort me. I guess the sentiment was nice.

Really, I wasn't angry. Just...tired? Disappointed? I don't even know. I shouldn't have been so naive to think that just because I had a sparkly new family that loved me unconditionally in this life, I would also be blessed with friends that were utterly altruistic and knew no wrong. It was like high school again, and I couldn't think of anyone who wanted to go through all that again. Even though I immensely disliked drama, my best friend Jason in school dated a girl throughout our years there who could find faults in a rock.

God, I really missed Jason. Whenever I went home to that silent house, I knew that the next day I'd see him and my other friends, and I'd be around people who actually _cared. _He moved with me to America, becoming a science teacher in the same area as me. There was something sour and ironic about the fact that this time around, everything was reversed.

Training helped to relax my mind, to chase away the bad thoughts. Usually I didn't help too much in the front of the shops, but for some reason I was in the mood to, and just working alongside my dad helped as well. I saw the blonde brat as well; you know, the one with an entire anime named after him. I tended to ignore him, though not impolitely. Naruto was a happy and loud kid, despite the hatred of the village, but I suppose I felt like if I payed him attention it would be like I was in _his _story.

And it wasn't just about him anymore. This was _my _life. I could move to Tea country and open a barber's for all it mattered as long as it had my name on it and not Naruto's.

At this point, I had discovered that Naruto _was _in the Academy, just in a different class. Each class had different rotors, hence all his lunch breaks were at different times to me, so I never really saw him. I think he was a year or two younger than me, which meant that I was unlikely to have anything to do with the canon storyline (not that I knew much of it anyway). Otou san liked him a lot, and it did make me proud to see that my dad was kind to the kid in a sea of judgemental assholes.

After we had closed up, I had finished my schoolwork, and recorded everything about the day in my journal.

I sincerely encourage all world travellers to keep a journal. It really helps to ground yourself, otherwise you could lose your sanity. I for one refused to forget anything about my past. I was Kurosawa Tora, a 7 year old kunoichi in training, but at the same time I was Peter Malinowski, a 35 year old professional fighter. Who said I had to be one or the other? As far as I was concerned, I was far from an identity crisis. The whole vagina thing didn't even freak me out that much anymore!

It was another way to practice my mother tongue. Sure, if I wrote in one language, if someone wanted to they could eventually crack it; I mean, the written word was essentially a form of code. But I took it a little further than that. See, I remember reading as a kid that Leonardo Da Vinci (great guy) wrote his journals with 'mirror writing', which was basically backwards. I used Ayame's portable mirror to do this, though I was close to getting the hand of it without one. Oh, and you wanna add a bit more fun to it? Let's make every random word in English! And random Japanese for the less important bits! Let's not forget that's 3 sets of linguistics characters in there.

This is of course on top of the fact that I would have to give someone a damn good reason for _wanting _to decode what I wrote.

My journal was full of detailed accounts of everyday since I learned to write again, scribbled ideas, tacked in drawings of my world and people (I was pretty good, not going to brag), and various memories. My last entry enclosed the chakra paper I had used today, lovingly pressed in. It was the third journal I had started, and already it was nearing the end. This one in particular was a little smaller than A4, bound in pliable deerskin with a cord that wrapped it shut. The first had been red leather with cream pages, and the second was A5 and a black hardback.

Materialistically, they were the most important things I owned in this world.

I dreaded the next day, but eventually I put away my pen and journal and slipped into my waiting bed.

* * *

**Dude. **

**DUDE! **

**I love you guys! So much love for just one update! Even though this is an especially angsty chapter, Keiko was begging for some character development. I hope I made clear that this wasn't going to be a 'mary sue appears and becomes Naruto's best friend and somehow is strong even without a ****biju' story (though I am guilty of reading mary sue stories without shame). Tora's got her own story to life, baby! I felt like it needed to be addressed, especially since she's also a wind nature kid, and I didn't want you guys to think they were going to start a wind release squad together or something. **

**On a side note, my brother and I watched Warrior with Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton in it. So much sibling love 3 We were in tears in the end. **

**Plus they were shirtless and Hardy's lips are to die for. **

**Happy Holidays!**

**Love, **

**Renzin xo**


	12. And When My Tears Dried You Held Tight

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only this storyline, my OCs and my artwork.**

Chapter 12

* * *

_"Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own."_

― Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land

* * *

"Tora?" Okaa san's voice followed me as I bounded up the stairs, an hour later than I usually did. I felt like I was about to suffocate, and the only safe zone was the solitude of my room. When I got there it was empty, and soon locked down with a slam of the door and a push of the cupboard in front of it. I relaxed the muscles in my legs enough to collapse to the floor and huddle against the wall with my legs bent and knees level with my face. Take a deep breath. _Breathe. _

I did _not _do arguments. In the ring, you threw your body into the fight and let the shit talk roll off your shoulders. The house I grew up in would never be classed as abusive, but boy could they shout at each other. 'Why do I do all the washing?', 'Why do you always turn the fucking heating down?', 'Why did everything go wrong when I met you?'. It was like a soap opera, but without the idealistic make up at the end.

I wasn't some Joker character who was about to go crazy and go on a killing spree. You saw how I held my own with all of Keiko's bitchiness? Didn't even stutter. I just needed some silence where nobody was _screaming __their lungs out _to calm down.

"Tora! Answer me this-"

"-WHAT?!" I roared through the door. If I thought that would scare some solitude for me, then I was so wrong.

"KUROSAWA TORA OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!" The handle shuddered and the wood banged against the cupboard. I screwed my eyes shut and curled up tighter. "TORA! OPEN UP _NOW!"_

_"I SAID NO!" _

Suddenly my mother Hotaru sounded scared. Maybe it was the fact that she couldn't get in, or that my voice had broken into a gurgle. I clawed by face into my hands. Was I crying? I hadn't done so since the last life. My body felt hot, like my brain was cooking in my skull. "Tora? Baby, what's wrong? Let me in."

I heard my father's voice join hers, as they both tried to gain another response from me. Then there was a bang at the door, and another, the cupboard in front of it tumbling to the side. Teuchi stormed into the room. "Musume! Are you alright...oh _Kami."_

Hotaru rushed in and dropped to her knees next to me. "Oh baby! What's wrong?"

I opened my mouth to say something, to tell them to piss off and some 'you're not my parents' crap. But I just start wailing, and the sound changes from one sustained note to a rhythm of hyperventilated gasps. Her arms that smell so _warm _wrap around me. Teuchi rubs his hands on my knees. "Tora, we've got you."

"She can't go back to the academy-"

"No!" I gasped, cutting off my mother. "I-it's not, I-I can't l-leave, don't m-make me leave!"

"Shhhh, we won't, I promise." They began rocking me now. "What happened?"

I moaned again, and cried for another few minutes before I explained as rudimentary as possible, like my mind was shorting. After I had told them about Keiko, I pressed my head into Hotaru's shoulder. "W-why do t-they a-always argue? I h-hate it I hate i-it I _hate it!" _

_"It's ok, Tora. No more fighting." _The air in my lungs rushed out like a burst balloon, the pressure easing. I fell asleep being cradled by the two of them.

* * *

When dawn came, it fought to meet my pupils through the clumps of dust that sealed my eyelashes together. I hissed in irritation, rubbing them fiercely. Instantly, I rolled around the bed, stretching my bones.

I blinked.

I was in my parent's bed. A hot tea was on the table to my left, the bitter scent enticing and steaming. On my right, was the body of my mother.

Wait, that sounded ominous. She's breathing, it's ok.

I hovered a hand over her shoulder, feeling the heat emanating from her skin, before gripping her and giving a light shake. "Okaa san? You awake?"

Hotaru blearily blinked, then gasped and tugged me into a tight hug. "Oh my baby!"

"'Kaa san! I'm _fine!"_

* * *

Safe to say, the previous day's events warranted a family meeting around the table. Even Ayame was there, sulking over the lack of attention.

"How long is this going to take? I'm meeting my friends in the park today."

"Ayame! Your sister needs her family, and all you can think about is your social events!" Hotaru scolded.

Teuchi smiled in amusement, then turned to me as he sat down next to me. "Tora, your Okaa san and I have been neglecting you. The Academy is hard work, and though we do worry, you don't know how _proud _we are of you."

I shrugged, uncomfortable with the heart to heart. "Thanks Otou san. I'm...glad you care."

"Of _course _we do!" Hotaru cried. "I shouldn't have been so unsupportive of you Tora, but I was just so scared! I don't want ANBU to come to our door one day and tell me you won't be coming home. You don't understand how that would break us."

"I get that. I don't know how to explain this but...It's what I'm supposed to do."

Teuchi frowned with worry. "Patriotism is honourable. Is there not another way?"

"It's not about protecting the village, though I'm not saying I'm not happy to do that." I scratched at the back of my head in frustration. "I have this...need to train. Like another bodily function...and I'm not really explaining this well."

"No, I think I get it." Ayame spoke up. "It's like your passion, right?" We all blinked at her. "What?"

I nodded, a hopeful smile taking over my face. "Yeah, that's pretty much what I mean."

Hotaru knelt down to clasp my hands, balancing on the balls of her shoes. "If that's how you feel, then I won't try to stop you Tora. I'm so sorry I didn't understand before."

"Does this mean you...support me being a ninja?" I asked hopefully.

She smiled, and at that moment she was beautiful. "It's not ideal, but your happiness is the same as mine, Tora."

"This _doesn't_ of course mean that we'll agree to let you throw yourself around without caution." Teuchi added sternly. "We know how hard you train. You have to keep that up, because we certainly won't be happy if you come back from a mission in anything less than perfect health."

I snorted. "Please, when have I _ever_ thrown caution to the wind?"

The three of them exchanged a weary look.


	13. The Spoils Of War Equals Ramen

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only this storyline, my OCs and my artwork.**

Chapter 13

* * *

_"The silence is the worst part of any fight, because it's made up of all the things we wish we could say, if only we had the guts." _

― Pete Wentz, Gray

* * *

"Is this necessary?"

Ayame huffed, her whimsical face twisting into a scowl. "I take time out of my busy schedule to cheer up my depressed sister with a shopping trip, and this is the thanks I get."

"I'm not _depressed." _I scowled. My fingers brushed a neon pink top that hung on the clothes rack. A light shudder coursed through me. "And blowing Oka san's purse is hardly going to cheer me up."

"Maybe not, but at least _I_ get to enjoy myself." She retorted cheerily. She picked up the hanger and narrowed her eyes in consideration, but before she could ask, I chirped "Not your colour."

Ayame sniffed haughtily and replaced the offending item. "I was considering it for you."

"Of course you were."

It took 3 more shops and some extremely obnoxious whining on my part before Ayame eventually steered us towards a cafe, more specifically an outdoor table with the sun beating down on my back. The smell of glazed confectionaries and beverages with frothed cream did little to relax me. My eyes shifted around us every few seconds. Ayame eventually had enough; she slapped her hand down on my tapping fingers and gave me a demanding glare. "Would you calm down already? All this jumpiness is raising my nerves!"

I rolled my eyes and slipped my hand onto my lap. "I just drank my coffee."

"You hate coffee, you had tea instead." She deadpanned.

I gave her a glistening smile. "You know me so _well!" _

Ayame was not amused. "Don't avoid the topic of conversation. Are you going to tell me why Oka san gave me a bag of amanatto to take you out?"

I huffed. When had Ayame got so perceptive (and improved her vocabulary? I mean, I had an _excuse_ for talking like an adult...). "It's not a big deal."

"Well, it obviously is to you. _Spill."_

I shifted slightly in my seat. "You're not going to gossip to your gang of pansies afterwards?"

"Hey! They're not-_ahhhhh." _Ayame exhaled sharply to regain control. "No. Pinkie swear."

Once our pinkies had been clasped, I leaned forward with both elbows on the table and my joined hands resting against my lip. "Keiko and I...are having a bit of a disagreement."

"She hates your guts?" She queried, her eyes not leaving the plate of sweets in between us.

"As much as Keiko is capable of, I suppose."

"What did you do?"

"_Me?! _I did nothing! She's just such a _brat!" _

Ayame snorted. "Aren't you two the same age?"

"That's not the point!" I snapped. I studiously ignored the irony here.

"What did she exactly say?"

"Well...Ok, so you know about chakra natures?"

"Chakra is...the soul?"

I restrained from chuckling patronisingly. "More like energy. Yours' sucks 'cause you're a civilian, but ninjas like _me _have systems that can interact with certain elements of nature."

Ayame scowled and swallowed some more tea. "You're so modest."

_"Arigato._ It's an individual thing, and most Konoha nin have a fire nature, including Keiko."

"Ok..." She furrowed her brows. "How do you even work this out?"

"Chakra paper."

"I don't see why some people can't set a piece of paper on fire. It's not hard!"

"..." We stared at each other for a moment. "Ayame...you pump chakra into the paper. That's what causes the fire, not a random matchstick."

"...Oh... So you can burn things with chakra. What's the problem?" She cheerily continued.

I sighed. "Nothing, except the fact that my paper didn't burn, it tore itself up. That means I have a wind nature."

"Ohhhhhh, so _that's _why Keiko's mad at you." Ayame took a moment to select a cookie. "No, I still don't get it."

"Because she's a little bitch that's why!" I snapped, slamming my hand on the table.

Ayame gasped in horror. "Tora chan! Where did you learn that word?!"

"The Academy." I laughed outright at her aghast expression. "Kidding, kidding."

"I can't believe my baby sister is so corrupt!" She slapped my arm as I cackled. "Don't let Okaa san and Otou san hear that! Now explain why wind is bad."

Instantly my mood darkened. "Well, according to Keiko, it's weak as heck. Apparently fire trumps wind, which I don't understand, 'cause surely I can just cut off the air flow around a fire till it goes out?"

Ayame shrugged. "Maybe it's really hard to have that much control over it."

"I guess. When I found out my element, I was so excited, then Keiko goes and ruins it by shitting-"

"Tora!"

"-sorry, _excreting _all over my parade."

Ayame sighed and flicked her fringe to the side. It was a week old and reminded me of Justin Bieber, but oddly enough made her quite pretty (not that I was going to tell her that). "I suppose you _do _have a reason to be angry then. What did you say?"

"I told her she was pathetic and left."

"_Owie! _I bet she didn't like that, considering how stuck up she is. Mind you, so are you."

I smiled sarcastically. "I think you need to work on your comforting skills."

"Who said I'm trying to comfort you? I'm here for the shopping and sweets!" Ayame giggled. "But seriously though, it's good you didn't lie on the floor and take it. You know, I knew a girl who was like that."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. Nami was a friend of mine until last year when she started chasing after a boy that she _knew _I liked. I completely ignore her existence now days. There's no point wasting energy on people that bring you down."

I blinked in surprise. I never really thought of Ayame having trouble at school, or really being anything but a flowery poster child for all things dumb and sugary. Dare I say it, but my sister was actually giving me good advice, and she was actually sounding..._smart. _

Maybe I should actually make an effort to spend time with Ayame.

"Well, enough of all that!" She clapped her hands together. "Let's go find Sasuke!"

Scratch that thought.

I choked on my tea. "How the hell do _you _know the Uchiha?!"

Ayame giggled in a way that made me want to run. "_Everybody _knows Sasuke kun! He's so cute and mysterious!"

"I didn't realise his fame spread to the civilian school. You do know that he's the year below _me? _That's way too young for you." I muttered.

She dismissed my comment with an airy wave. "What Sasuke needs is a pretty older girl like myself to comfort him until he realises what it is to fall in love!"

"Sure..._cradle robber." _I laughed outright as I ducked her flying teacup.

* * *

As expected, Keiko liked to hold grudges. Monday's class consisted of Tenten swapping seats with me so that she was between the both of us, and lunchtime meant sitting in a tree to ignore her laser beam glare. When it became clear that I had no intention of speaking to her, Keiko began leaving tacos on my chair and various bugs on my desk, managing to somehow pin the blame on Rock Lee when Iruka sensei demanded the culprit of the insect infestation. Naturally, being the matured adult stuck in a kid's body that I am, I was able to predict such pathetic pranks.

However by the end of the week, others had something to say about the new class dynamic.

Hyuuga Neji was the epitome of his clan; cold, proud and the owner of pupiless eyes. In particular, those of my class knew Neji as a shorter of enviable hair and the antithesis of fun. The only reason he tolerated the academy was for his education. His glares could chill the air and cast silence throughout the classroom. As you can imagine, he wasn't too happy to find out that the general peace of the class was consistent being disrupted; especially by unhygienic bugs.

It happened as if we had briefly slipped into the vacuum of the centre of a tornado. Keiko had released a container of flies (I have no idea where she got them from) under my chair, not really comprehending that she sat on the same row as me. In an eruption of chaos, I jumped onto the desk and hopped to the front of the class with a yell of surprise. A moment later and the flies had diffused enough to cause everybody to shriek and rush forwards. Iruka sensei called for us to calm down while waving his arms frantically in the air. On reflex, he shouted "NARUTO!", then paused as if remembering he wasn't even a member of our class. "Everybody outside now!"

He didn't have to say it twice. As we rushed out of the room, Iruka sensei threw open every window. After realising that the swarm wasn't not interested in leaving, he ran out to pull out Aburame Shino from the younger class. The blank faced boy informed us much to our distaste that he only worked in affiliation with a particular species of insect, and had no influence over the swarm in our class. Helpless, Iruka sighed heavily. "Alright, I'm afraid we're going to have to finish early today. Whoever is responsible-"

"It was Keiko." Neji interrupted.

Keiko hissed like an angry feline. "You little snitch! This has nothing to do with you."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Watch your tone with me, Mitarashi. Your petty attacks on the ramen girl are of no interest to me, but infesting the class with insects is not on." There were a few nods and murmurs of agreement from the rest of the class.

"'Ramen girl'?" I growled. Tenten patted my shoulder sympathetically.

"Just butt out of it. This is between me and the baka." Keiko spat.

I scoffed, leaning my hip to one side. "Keiko, the only one with a problem is _you. _I have no intention of wasting anymore time with a brat like you."

Tenten gasped with the rest of the class as if we were on a soap opera. "Tora!"

I rolled my eyes. "What? I'm just saying it like it is."

"Shut up!" Keiko yelled. "You're the one who's jealous!" She threw herself at me and with surprise I fell onto my back with her on top of me. She landed two heavy punches to my face until I pushed down the taboo I felt about punching a little girl and thought, 'screw it'.

I curved my spine like a woodlouse and hooked my legs forward around Keiko's waist and pulled her away from me, taking the opportunity to jump on top of her and let the boxer out. I ignored any standard technique and swung my fists in arcs like a brawler, hitting hard. Several times to the face to make up for the shots to my own, then to the gut. Our class yelled like a catcalling crowd, Keiko yowled and tore her long nails anywhere she could reach. I heard a familiar crack when I slammed my open palm onto the middle of her nose, then I was tugged away under the arms by Daikoko sensei.

I struggled to free myself, but no dice. Keiko was rolling on the floor with her hands wrapped around her nose, Iruka sensei kneeling next to her and trying to calm her down. As much as I wanted to say I felt guilty, I wasn't in the mood to lie. What can I say? I used to fight for money in another life, though maybe acting like a child was eroding my maturity...

* * *

Naturally, Keiko and I were severely punished. For the next month we had to stay after class to tidy up and do lines and such. While the fight and Neji's hard glares (as if Iruka sensei's made a difference) had stopped Keiko's pranking career prematurely, we still traded insults or stayed in a stony silence in each others' presence. Tenten had had enough with being in the middle of us and moved to sit with the boy in our class with black hair and thick eye brows. I had moved to the back of the class with my back against the wall (a tactical decision).

Of course, Iruka sensei visited my parents about this. Hotaru was _furious. _She had spent the next week screaming incessantly at me about the incident, and I was forced to do Ayame's chores as well as my own 'until I had learnt my lesson'. Teuchi was equally pissed (which was even worse). He fumed about 'responsibility' and 'power', and got even angrier when I called him uncle Ben (though of course he had no idea _why _I called him that). I barely had anytime to train now that I had been given more shifts at Ichiraku until I learnt 'the value of handwork' and 'became humble'. Ayame told me to stop acting like a boy or I'd get neutered.

Geez, my parents were such do-gooders.

So there I was around about the time I would usually be in the trees behind our house doing my training, standing behind the counter of our ramen stall watching the noodles begin to boil on a new batch. As usual, the place was starting to get crowded at this time of the afternoon. A certain blonde haired child had been served by my father a few minutes before. "Hey, I know you!" He exclaimed loudly with a finger stabbed in my direction. "You're that girl who beat up the other one at the Academy!"

I blinked a few times. "Yep, that's me. You also see me here like, everyday."

"Yeah, that too! I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" He grinned proudly, the whisker marks on his cheeks wiggling.

I chuckled a little, moving to cut a new set of leaks on the cutting board. "Nice to meet you. I'm Kurosawa Tora, your cook for today."

Naruto's eyes widened. "You're Teuchi's kid! You're so lucky! You must have ramen for every meal for free!"

"Ehh, more or less." I rubbed my neck bashfully. "I'm actually only working as punishment for that fight."

"Why? You won!"

"How did you know?" I asked, surprised.

"Oh, my class saw the whole thing from the windows. You really beat her into the ground! I bet you could beat up that Sasuke _teme!"_ Naruto exclaimed. His arm movements almost took out the bowl of ramen in front of him.

I shook my head, feeling rather flattered even though I knew this was the ramblings of a child. "Well, I _am_ a year older than you; it would be embarrassing if I lost to the Uchiha."

"So what's your secret? Hinata chan told us that her cousin's in your class, and you're both drawn for the top taijutsu fighters." He leaned forwards as if I was going to whisper some great secret to him.

I couldn't help it, I laughed; I totally understand why he was a protagonist in that anime, Naruto was so easy to get along with. "Sorry kid, there's no easy way around it. You just have to train."

"Hey don't call me that! You're that much older than me!" Naruto pouted in disappointment.

I grinned and put my hands on my hips. "If you don't like it, then you'll have to _make _me stop, kid."

No joke, this boy actually _growled, _like an adorable puppy with his hands in fists. "Oh yeah? Well, I'm going to train so much I'll beat you to a pulp, believe it!"

I laughed loudly, but then with an "Oh shit!" rushed over to stop the noodles from boiling over. Apparently inspired, Naruto only stayed for two more bowls before dashing off. However he wasn't my only visitor of note. I turned around after finishing a stack of orders to find Akuma sitting directly in front of me, leaning lazily to the side with that god awful smirk. I narrowed my eyes. "What are _you _doing here?"

Akuma sighed melodramatically, his braided hair swirling with the movement. "Why Tora chan, I merely travelled all the way from my home for a wonderful bowl of ramen. How could you be so cold?"

"Firstly, we aren't acquainted enough for you to call me that, and you've never eaten here before." I stated, watching him like a hawk.

His lips tugged wider to reveal his teeth. "Perhaps I've developed a craving."

"Look, I'm really not in the mood. Can you not just order and eat in silence?" I asked, a slight whine in my tone. I was tired, with only an hour left of my shift.

Akuma pouted. "Maybe I like the company."

"Well, the company doesn't like you."

"Oh, nasty." He drawled. "I'll have the wakayama ramen. Have you thought about my proposal?"

"One moment." I opened the door to call to Teuchi. "Wakayama!"

"Got it!"

I moved back in front of Akuma and nodded my head. I had been thinking a lot about my weapon choice since Akuma had offered his services. Since Keiko and I were nada, I felt even less hesitation over accepting his craftsmanship. As copyright as it may be, Aang seemed to have the right idea. While a trip to the local library for the scrolls available to civilians had at least mentioned that wind users nearly always used fans or blades that the wind could enhance the sharpness and range of, I already had a little experience with staffs at my old dojo, though that had been a while ago. "I have actually." Akuma turned his head back from observing a group of passer byes who scowled at him. Come to think of it, he was treated almost as badly as Naruto (though I knew about the Kyuubi reason).

"And?"

"I'm thinking bo staff."

Akuma raised an eyebrow. "Interesting choice...though not very exciting for me to craft. Are you certain?"

I resisted the urge to shrug, and pulled out my notebook from my school bag behind the counter. "I've got a few requests, though it's a little hard to explain." And so I showed him my sketch of a bo staff with several mechanical additions. Rather than one solid pole of wood, there would be a wide section in the centre, perhaps 30-40 cm long. The rest of the staff on either end would slot in and out of the hollow grip in the centre fast enough to use in combat."

Akuma hummed, an excited gleam in his eye. "Hmm...Give me a pencil. I assume this is for storage purposes. Why not use a sealing scroll?"

I retrieved my pencil case for him, then presented his food to him after Teuchi called me to collect it. "You're right, I could do that, but that's not the main purpose. Would there be a way to make the end parts of the staff strong enough to withstand my entire weight?"

He tilted his head with curiosity. "Perhaps, but I'll have to make a few prototypes to see. May I ask why?"

"Well, my chakra nature is wind-"

"-Everybody knows that after your fight with Keiko."

I glared at him. "Right. I'm also quite flexible and fast, so I want to be able to develop my taijutsu into something more...airborne. I want to be able to use the springs in the staff to propel me up to avoid things, and if I can retract it fast even I can slip into an opponents' personal space and extend it into their rips or something."

Akuma stared at me for a moment. I was apprehensive because of his prolonged silence, until he grinned toothily again. "What a wicked idea, Tora san. I'll bite on this one."

I wooped cheerfully. "Really?"

"Oh yes, this sounds like a project that's going to be a challenge." Akuma chuckled. "You better work with a substitute staff for now before you use such a specific design."

"Don't worry, I intend to!" And so Akuma left me, taking the page of my design as well as my pencil, leaving me with a half finished bowl of ramen to clean.


	14. Building Bridges Through The Mist

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only this storyline, my OCs and my artwork.**

Chapter 14

* * *

_"The more this guy talked, the more he sounded like a fortune cookie_."

― Kelly Creagh, Nevermore

* * *

"This is a terrible idea." I wore my scowl like a battle mask, my feet shuffling along Konaha's dusty streets behind my parents. For some idiotic, moronic, _delusional_ reason, the Kurosawa's were having dinner with the Mitarashi's. According to Hotaru, we needed to 'resolve our differences', and that required us to dress up and beg for forgiveness. She didn't really listen when I mentioned that a clan family like the Mitarashi's would be more upset at Keiko for _losing _a fight than losing a friend that wasn't even an important alliance. My request to warn the Hokage and ANBU of the meeting had been ignored, though if I was lucky, they were already watching us of their own accord.

With that thought, I snuck a glance up at the rooftops. As was typical for 7pm in the village, the air was still warm yet the sky had deepened like running watercolours. Hotaru shot a glare from in front of me after I sighed loudly. Ayame skipped up to my side and tugged me into a faster pace. "Don't be so negative, Tora. We haven't been out for dinner in ages!"

"This isn't dinner, this is sticking our heads in the lion's maw and saying 'bite me'."

Teuchi chuckled. "If only you had used your words instead of your fists before, then we wouldn't be here."

I groaned, rolling my head back dramatically. "She jumped me first!"

"Forgive me, but isn't the Academy teaching you to not fight aimlessly?" Hotaru drawled like a snake coiled in the long grass.

...Maybe I did have a thing for metaphors when I was emotional.

I sniffed and didn't deign to answer. However I had to admit, despite the impending doom at the end, this little walk with the family was nice. People lazily strolled by us and many shop owners greeted Teuchi with familiar smiles for a fellow retailer. Ayame was right about what she said; my parents rarely had an evening together with Ichiraku's. Even though I had taken over the shifts after school, Teuchi was still busy cooking the harder dishes and with the plans to eventually expand the stand into an actual restaurant, which would mean increasing the profits for an actual staff.

Since I had grown out of Hotaru being able to physically force me into frilly clothes, she had reverted to the guilt trip ('_The least you could do is to look presentable!')._It was really quite effective. Instead of my usual cropped trousers and a T shirt, I had been forced into a formal kimono made from an apricot fabric, with green sapling growing from the bottom of the skirt and sleeves. My usual pony tail or braid had been subjected to a slicked back bun with curls bouncing free by my ears.

Of course, I would never admit this to my mother (our clashing fashion arguments were close to my heart), but just because I was/used to be a dude, didn't mean I didn't like pretty things. I mean, I liked it when my girlfriends wore cute stuff (or better yet, _sexy _lingerie). Stands to reason that I was a little intrigued, and besides, Hotaru had made this kimono from scratch for me. It was cute.

Ayame was dressed similarly in a creamy kimono with ripe peaches twirling around her. Teuchi was handsomely dressed in a dark rogue set of ropes, his haori and hakama lined with small silver stitches. Hotaru was...

My mother was beautiful. Bias can perform many things, but considering I had experience twice over with such things, I could clearly see the truth in that statement. My old family were sharp and defined like all of my previous memories, but greying and dull like dusty glass. My real family in comparison were bright and alive, always accompanied with the zing of a sharp fruit. I remember when I first saw the dress she wore now. As I often did, it had been years ago when I was riffling randomly through everybody else's private draws. It had been at the back of my parents' wardrobe. There had been a wide wooden box, and inside, my mother's wedding robes and what she was wearing now.

The silk fabric was a smooth gradient of deep blue, wild ocean waves climbing up to her obi while golden cranes with reddened tail feathers flew through the sea spray. Her brown hair was pulled into a maru-mage style with bronze hairpieces. Her warm dark eyes were shaded with brown makeup and her lips tinted with plum. When I saw her like that, the evening hues clinging to her figure, I discovered another reason to want to grow up, if only to be like her.

"Tora, _lagging behind _isn't going to get you out of this." She called.

"Coming!"

* * *

"Teuchi san, Hotaru san, we are honoured to receive you tonight. Please, come sit." Mitarashi Cho bowed in response to our own, her fuchsia gown glistening with the movement. Her husband, Daiko mimicked her and added, "We are glad to meet your acquaintance." He was similarly dressed like my father but in navy tones.

Teuchi smiled politely, his good nature showing in his crinkled eyes. "Thank you for having us Daiko san, Cho san, we are equally honoured."

During the pleasantries, Keiko and I glared at each other. A thin note of jealousy and surprise hit me when I saw the fine copper silk of her gown; I was happy to wear something my mother had worked hard to make, however I was under no illusions that we were as rich as Keiko's clan. While Ayame and I wore cotton kimonos, Keiko and Anko (speaking of which, was grinning creeping in a black kimono behind her parents) donned tailored silk robes. Ayame was doing her best not to cower behind me at the sight of Anko's...general Anko-iness.

We moved to the dining room and indulged in an elegant dinner. Our parents small talked, Hotaru and Cho realised that they were both customers of the same florist, Keiko and I glared at each other while Ayame summoned up the courage to talk to Anko.

"So, you're a jounin?" Ayame started off tentatively.

Anko blinked her slitted eyes at my sister, grinned widely like she had spotted prey. "Why, yes I am, little civie! Your sister teach you what that means?"

Ayame puffed up a little at the mocking drawl. "Yes. That's the highest rank, right?"

Keiko snorted. "I suppose Tora wouldn't know that there's also the-"

"-kage, yes I'm aware, thank you." I hissed with a withering smile.

Keiko returned the expression, with decidedly more teeth clenching. Ayame shifted a little away from us, then squeaked when Anko sniffed her hair.

The interaction caught the attention of our parents. Daiko was a built shinobi more or less in retirement; he was clearly the origin of his daughters hair and tanned skin, and older than expected, which was a clear indicator that he was skilled enough to survive during the Third Shinobi War. He cleared his throat. "I believe it's time to discuss the tension between our daughters."

Hotaru nodded, her frown deepening. "I agree. First we would like to apologise for Tora's actions. She's been punished accordingly, I assure you."

Cho smiled politely. "I thank you on behalf of my family for your apology, however we cannot accept."

The rest of my family gaped at her. I smirked and leaned back. "Told you so."

My mother recovered first. "I don't understand..."

"Tora san won the match with our daughter fairly. She has ultimately won the feud by the way of the shinobi." Daiko explained.

"The way of the _will of fire_, on the other hand..." Anko continued cheerily.

"Anko! Enough disharmony." Cho scolded her.

Teuchi furrowed his brow. "But surely, this feud is not finished. They still..."

"Despise her?" I said.

"Hate her guts?" Keiko asked at the same time. We shot synchronised daggers at each other.

"Aww, Cupcake, you're so cute!" Anko cooed, grabbed Keiko's cheek with what looked like a painful grip. "Not even graduated and you already have a nemesis!"

Ayame paled. "Doesn't this mean our families are at war or something?"

I rolled my eyes. "Sis, we traded a couple of punches. You don't need to pull out the pitchforks."

"You broke her nose!"

"She did?" Anko said. She swivelled her eyes to appraise me. I ignored my instincts that told me to hurl my dish at her and make a break for it. "Sweet."

"Anko!" Keiko hissed.

"Oh chill, Cupcake, you sound like one of my summons."

"Cupcake?" I sniggered.

Keiko snarled at me, her hands balling the table cloth. "Shut up!"

"Keiko!" Cho snapped. Like Hotaru, she seemed to have the ability to send out her room like a thunderclap. "I won't have you uttering such course language."

Daiko frowned. "I am sorry you had to see that."

Teuchi shook his head. "We understand. This is quite emotional for them. If I may ask, what exactly started this? Tora, you used to play with Keiko san all the time."

A beat of silence passed over us. Keiko and I suddenly couldn't look at anybody. "Well...I might have...told Tora that her wind nature was stupid." She whispered the last part.

Finally, Daiko spoke, anger in his strong voice. "Keiko, I am deeply disappointed that you would insult such an important part of another ninja's nature. What would cause you to say this?"

Keiko's eyes started to grow puffy, clearly flustered at her parents glares (Anko was busy sampling from Ayame's plate). "Silly stuff...doesn't really matter now."

Oddly enough, as satisfied I was to witness Keikp being pulled down a few pegs, extended gloating wasn't really my thing. In my discomfort, I rubbed my neck. "Yeah, but I didn't really deal with it well either. That made it worse."

Cho tilted her head at me, like she had observed something unexpected. "Your humility is noble, Tora san."

"Erm, thank you?"

Hotaru tutted. "Don't mumble, Tora."

"Perhaps we can talk about a way to rectify this." Teuchi suggested gently.

Daiko nodded, finishing his meal by placing down his chopsticks. "My wife and I have discussed a possibility that we would like to suggest. For over a year now, Keiko has been taught by her grandmother the practice of acupuncture, so as to assist her knowledge of the application of senbon as a kunoichi. She has only practiced on Anko, but perhaps having Tora san there to assist her learning could help to teach her some of the humility and control your daughter seems to possess."

"What!? No, that's-"

"A wonderful idea!" Anko interrupted Keiko, grinning madly. "I found that the assistance of my old teammates with my own training brought us all closer together!"

Keiko threw her hands in the air. "You haven't spent time with them since you joined Morino Ibiki's team and Oroch-"

"_Keiko. _Enough." Cho hissed. The youngest Mitarashi paled a little at Anko's suddenly blank expression. "S-sorry."

Hotaru ignored my pleading look. "I believe that this is an acceptable course of action. Tora has a habit of burying her emotions, so I think confronting her problems will benefit her."

"Are you kidding me?" I muttered. Ayame just shrugged, eyes still on Anko.

Teuchi nodded his approval. "We accept your offer."

"Then it is decided." Daiko concluded. "We shall be happy to receive Tora san on Saturday mornings."

* * *

A familiar figure gracefully slid into the empty stool directly in front of me. I forced myself to look up nonchalently. "Oh, it's _you._ Wakayama again?"

"So Sukiyaki this time." Akuma's smirk widened smugly. "You've been waiting for me."

I snapped my head up at him. "D-don't be silly. Where else would I be? I _work _here, you know."

"You've been looking in the direction I walked away from last time I came several times in the last hour." Akuma drawled. "Are you wearing perfume?"

"Ayame attacked me with some when I walked in. And-not that it's true-but _how _did you know that exactly?" I raised an eyebrow as I fixed him with a partially suspicious yet flustered and offended expression.

Akuma gestured to the Yamanaka flower store at the other end of the street. "I was shopping for my sister. Their window is squeaky clean and right in your direction. What a fortuitous world, huh?"

"You have a sister?" I said with surprise.

"Yes, the little devil herself. You know, I am actually hungry..."

"Right. _So Sukiyaki!" _I called into the kitchen.

"Seafood's ready!" Teuchi called back. I retrieved the finished dish and placed it in front of a weary looking chunin with a smile. Akuma was following me with his eyes as I made my way back to him. "So...when can I get back my notebook?"

Akuma tapped a finger to his lips. "Well, since I copied it all out the night you gave it to me, I suppose you can pick it up whenever."

"Ever heard of copyright?" I huffed. "Why can't you just drop it off here?"

"C'mon, it's only fair; you invite me to yours-"

"-I've _never _invited-"

"-and now I'm inviting you to my home. Simple." He finished with a light smile.

I groaned. "You're insufferable. I don't want to go traipsing around the village looking for your clan compound!"

"Don't worry, just look for the demonic laughter and piles of corpses." Akuma brightly added. "Don't you want to meet my cute little sister?"

"You called her 'little devil' before."

"They both apply. The devil appears in many different forms, you know." He replied smoothly.

"So Sukiyaki's ready!" My father called. I hesitated, then rushed to pick up the order. I watched Akuma eat a good portion of his dish while I pre chopped the vegetables for the next customers. I chewed my lower lip.

"You want to ask me something." He murmured softly.

My chopping slowed. "Yes."

After a moment, Akuma continued. "Tora san, your silence is drilling holes into painful areas of my existence."

I giggled with surprise. "A little dramatic, don't you think?"

He laughed with me. "When I die, every nation's going to feel it. I don't _do_ boring."

"That doesn't surprise me." I shook my head, tapping my fingers against the handle of my knife. "Why do people...treat you like Naruto? You know, with the..." I trailed off.

Akuma stilled, staring into his bowl. "Now, you're a little young to know about that incident."

"So are you." I quickly replied.

He thought for a moment, raising his head to meet my eyes. "Come for dinner this Sunday, Okaa san's making takoyaki."

"Will you tell me if I do?"

With a small smile, Akuma nodded. "We'll both get our answers then."


	15. Resolutions Before The Growth Spurt

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only this storyline, my OCs and my artwork.**

Chapter 15

* * *

_"My heart has more rooms in it than a whore house." _

— Gabriel Garcí a Márquez

* * *

I guess I'm a sucker for stubborn kids. They're the sort that'll grow up to change the world in my opinion, and also remind me of myself. If I hadn't been the way I was, I would've applied for the job my old man had lined up for me at the company he worked at. I would never have moved countries, become a modestly successful boxer, become engaged, swiftly unengaged, and perhaps I would never have woken up in feudal Japan. But then again, considering I had been here for less than a decade and was much happier than I had been before, I figured that stubbornness was a good trait to maintain.

I'm also obviously not perfect. I still have a reflex to check out girls butts and boobs as they walk by, then get pissed off when I lack any hormones whatsoever to be interested in them (puberty was taking it's sweet time - when did chicks start wearing bras again?). I liked to random steal my dad's wallet, then stuff it in a different draw to confuse the heck out of him. I also, like everybody else, had that nasty instinct to feel smug when I was better at something than somebody else.

I may not be the best at everything, but two things I excelled at were chakra control and taijutsu. Iruka sensei had taken to solely letting Neji and I spar (to be fair to him, I had an extra life time of experience, and he wasn't allowed to attack any serious areas of my chakra system with his buzzy fingers) because with anybody else it was too one sided. As irritating as it was to Neji the times I did beat him, at the very least he had stopped calling me 'ramen girl', and boy did he beat my ass once or twice. While I didn't have a noticeably large amount of chakra (Akuma had the largest in our class), I definitely had the best control over it.

Originally, I didn't spend much time looking past Keiko and Tenten. After the whole band breakup thing, I hadn't made much of an effort to introduce myself to others. Neji was nothing more that a stoic sparring partner, Tenten was used to my occasional visits at the weapons store, Akuma liked to randomly turn up when I was working (mainly to discuss ideas on my bo staff) and now I had to look forward to Saturdays with Keiko (what a way to start the weekend). Everybody else in the class I knew purely by sight and vague stereotypes.

So when I saw Rock Lee furiously slamming his foot repeatedly into a wide tree truck, I wasn't sure what to think. I didn't know much about him, other that Tenten had relocated to sit next to him in class. He had limb black hair, an oval face and owlish eyes hanging under thick brows. I remembered somebody mentioning that he was an orphan, and the grey baggy clothes he always wore supported that theory. As nasty as it sounded, Lee was the class joke. He could never control the volume he spoke at and sucked at everything - well, that's not completely true. While he had the shittiest grasp of tekken theory, I had never seen him quit a fight without being forced to stop by our sensei.

I considered continuing on my jog until I noticed a red stain growing on the area Lee kept kicking at. With a curse I changed direction and grabbed his extended leg as soon as I was in reach. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I snarled at a wide eyed Lee. "Are you _trying _to injure yourself? Because that's a coward's way out of the Academy."

"T-Tora san! It's not what it looks like, I would _never-" _Lee yelped and lost his balance as I dropped his leg. I caught him roughly by his shirt.

"Shit." I hissed. Lee collapsed properly onto the floor, giving me a clear look at his foot. The worn sandals were torn and coated in blood. "You better have a good reason for this mess."

Lee stuttered for a few moments, then swallowed harshly. "I was just practicing my kicking."

I stared at him, not believing what I was hearing; what the fuck was wrong with children in this world? Most of them spoke at the same level I did, and now it turned out they were not above self harm. It may not be conventional like cutting wrists, but training so irresponsibly was a terrible idea. "Your kicking..." I sucked in a breath harshly, making Lee flinch. "You didn't think to switch legs? Take a break? Wear shoes that aren't kept together with _tape?!"_

At my old gym, my coach had always kept a sharp eye for the guys who didn't know when to stop, those that for whatever reason couldn't afford to lose the next match. Even though you couldn't be admitted to hospital for being 'ambitious', I knew that if I wasn't careful, I could fall ill like they had. It was a possibility that haunted me, and now it was staring me back in the face in the form of this stupid kid.

Lee wouldn't meet my eyes for more than a few seconds. "Tora san...I've been warned by Daikoko sensei that I should consider dropping out. He says that my chakra system is not strong enough, that's why I can't do any of the exercises for chakra. I won't ever be able to do even Academy ninjutsu or genjutsu. I have to, I _need _to get better at everything else!"

Fuck, I was pissed off. I cuffed the side of his head _hard. _"You're an idiot. Keep going like this, and your foot's going to be nothing but shattered bone and scar tissue. You think you can be a ninja without having to walk?"

His face grew red, and then he was crying, frustration in his raising voice. "What am I supposed to do?! I need to get stronger, faster-"

"-And there are a dozen ways to do that without disabling yourself!" I sighed. I needed to get Lee to the hospital, and hope I would get stuck in the waiting room. The particular foot Lee had been bashing against the tree looked more shoe than foot. "...How many times?"

"...I was trying to reach a thousand."

"Oh my god, I want to _strangle_ you right now."

"Why do you even care?!" Lee snapped. "You're one of the best in our class! You don't know what its like!"

I hissed, glaring heatedly at him. "The _fuck_ I don't. Up until a few months ago, I had to hide my training from my family because my Okaa san was so against it. You know the only reason I'm _in _the Academy is because Iruka sensei caught me watching the rest of you train when the school year had just started? It's hard for every one, Lee san." I bite my lip harshly to stop rambling. "It's really great that you're fight for this, but you're gonna kill yourself before the battle's even started."

When I looked up, Lee was staring in shock at me. I could've sworn that one of the episodes I had seen with my buddy's daughter while babysitting had shown an older Rock Lee dancing around happily with his older dopelganger; but here he was, self harming and being a generally depressed kid. "I'm going to get you to the hospital. I don't think it's that far."

Lee shook his head. "I can make it myself."

"Stop being stupid and let me help, ok?"

* * *

Turns out when you're not Naruto or Akuma, the villagers were a bunch of do gooders. Once we had come in sight of the first row of houses, several passer byes had rushed over to ask what had happened. I supposed to them, we looked like two kids who had had an accident in the forest, when in reality we were one idiot who was bleeding being hauled around by another idiot who should have kept just jogging. Some fruit seller carried Lee properly to the ER, where our wait was minimal. Due to Lee being a kid, he got priority and was treated almost immediately.

It was interesting to see how the hospital worked here. Turned out there _were _shinobi that specialised in medical practice; they were known as iyro nin. Lee must have had a note in his file stating him as a potential shinobi, because instead of a civilian doctor he was taken to an iyro nin. It seems that Konoha had a strict regulation to make sure that injuries would not affect a shinobi in their later career. 15 minutes of several phases of jutsus that produced a green hued chakra, and Lee was tentatively walking on a pair of brand new feet.

I stood awkwardly in front of the hospital, my anger drained. "So, you gonna be alright?"

Lee nodded, smiling tiredly. "I'm fine now, Tora san. You didn't have to wait for me."

"Eh, I was curious about the medics." I ran a hand across my braided scalp, wondering whether I should make the offer I had been thinking about. "Listen Lee san...do you have someone to work with?"

"Yes! I have my Gai sensei!" He said enthusiastically. A wide smile jumped onto his face. "He says he was like me when he was in the academy, and now he's a taijutsu master."

I raised my eyebrows. "Is _he _the one who told you to do a thousand reps?"

Lee shook his head quickly. "No! Gai sensei said I should pace myself, but well, I sort of got impatient." He laughed nervously.

I snorted with exasperation. "Yeah, I got that. Well, if you have time after the Academy and Gai's training, maybe we could spar as well?"

"Really?" Lee gaped. "Yes! By fighting the best, I can _become _the best!"

I flushed with embarrassment. "Well, I'm not the best-"

"Thank you Tora san! You won't regret this!" Lee cheered. He shot off like a kid on a sugar rush, apparently forgetting that we hadn't even negotiated a time. I laughed under my breath, resolving to talk to him at school.

* * *

The dreaded morning of Saturday came with raining hellfire and locusts. Or rather, that would have been preferable, because then I wouldn't be forced into Keiko's company. I had repeatedly stated that this was the shittiest punishment known to man, but for every complaint, Hotaru had the same answer. Apparently helping Keiko with her learning would humble our egos and rebuild the marzipan bridge of friendship.

The day had started with Hotaru sending me back up to change into a nicer linen shirt and loose pleated trousers with my sandals. Admittedly, they were cooler that what I was wearing before, but was I going to admit that? Of course not. I poured too much soy sauce on my rice and ended up having to brush my teeth again to get rid of the salty taste on my tongue, and was walked to the Mitarashi compound with an ever chatty Ayame (note - I need to find her a birthday present soon).

A servant let me in and led me to another building in the compound that had several doors open to let the air flow in. The building were baked to a cream colour with several varieties of flowering creepers crawling up to the red tiled roofs. A wind chime tinkled above my head when I entered. Inside were Keiko (whom I greeted with a reciprocated sneer) and an elderly woman with a strict expression and grey robes. Her hair reminded me of ice cream; the Mitarashi purple hair was equally matched with thick streaks of white. I bowed respectfully. "I apologise for intruding. My name-"

"I know what your name is girl. Sit down and endeavour to not be late again." The older woman snapped. I blinked in surprise. "Well? Are you deaf as well as unable to read a clock?"

I hastily complied to sit next to Keiko, facing in her relative's direction. Without further interaction, She continued her lecture for Keiko, who was furiously writing everything that was said. I watched the scene a little dazed; it seemed that I was supposed to just wait for them to use me when I needed them, since I doubted that they would want to teach me any clan techniques. This old lady certainly held authority. I had never seen Keiko write so fast before.

After almost an hour of watching this severe lecture, the old lady eventually brought it to a close. "Enough of this. Keiko will now demonstrate her skills on you, girl."

"Hai, Obaa san."

I stared at her dumbly. "What?"

She glared scarily. "Get on the bed and hold your tongue." I did as I was told. What? This lady's _terrifying._

I lay down on an elevated mat staring up at the ceiling. Keiko and her grandmother hovered above me, the latter examining every movement her student made. I had been tensed and ready for the torture to begin, but to my surprise Keiko wordlessly started to press her thumbs into specific areas of my body, following some sort of pattern. I looked at her face as she worked, calming down myself and the studious concentration it held. Every point she pressed, she named and was either silently approved or harshly berated. Several points I hissed at, others were surprisingly pleasant.I started to relax, thinking this wasn't so bad.

Then the old lady told Keiko to fetch the needles.

With a nasty expression, she looked down at me. "You will address me as Masaru sama. I am in charge of Keiko's clan studies. I have little interest to what every quarrel has resulted in your presence, so long as it does not disrupt my lessons. Is that clear?"

I nodded hastily. "Hai, Masaru sama." She narrowed her beady eyes, but didn't deign to ask for my own name (I doubt she really cared).

Keiko's acupuncture...needed some work.

The experience could be compared to a game of jenga blocks; some points were severely painful and endured with gritted teeth, others were painless but hardly enjoyable considering I was cringing at every needle. How the hell did people find this _relaxing?_

Or maybe Keiko's just shit at it.

I had to admit that it was pretty clever learning this. What with the Mitarashi already renown for their archery, it made sense to be good with senbon. I had seen Anko picking her nails with them occasionally, and already Keiko's aim was scarily good. By learning more medical practices like acupuncture, she could possibly become an iyro nin, or at the very least know exactly how to paralysis someone.

Eventually, they left me alone. Pinned like a hedgehog for half an hour, I was left with nothing to do but stare at the ceiling and listen in on another lecture. By the time I was set free, it was time for lunch. Masaru told/ordered me to eat with them (she took the role of host very seriously), and proceeded to use the opportunity to correct our etiquette while we ate. At the very least, the food was as tasty as last time I had been here.

When it was time for leave, it felt like I had run a marathon. Masaru bid me goodbye with a glared warning to not be late, and Keiko was obliged to walk me to the door.

"You look like a smug little bastard right now." I grumbled to her. "Go on, say what you have to."

Keiko sniffed with an air of superiority. "I was just thinking that I've seen dogs eat prettier than you do."

"Yeah, well becoming a live pin cushion gives me an appetite." I hesitated in the doorway. This experience had admitted reformed the old camaraderie I had with Keiko, and I wondered if I was hoping for too much. "See you at school."

She nodded, not moving from her spot either. "I guess so." We stared at each other for a moment longer, until Keiko feined a disinterested hair flick. "Wind still sucks, you know. But, you're not so bad, so you can probably make it cool."

My mouth twitched upwards. "Is that so? Well, that's pretty mature of you to say, Keiko."

Keiko scowled. "Don't let it go to your head baka!" She slid the door closed with a huff.

With a laugh, I yelled through it. "Thanks for apologising!"

Maybe my mother was right about the whole friendship thing...

* * *

The rest of Saturday was mundane, but most importantly, needle free. As much of an ass Keiko had been, I was a little giddy that were tentatively ok now. However, my interesting weekend was not at an end. It had taken some convincing and an embarrassing promise to Hotaru that I wasn't interested in boys yet, to get permission to go to Akuma's little dinner. As it was, Hotaru decided to walk me there and back to make sure I wasn't actually going to a rock and roll party (did they even have electric guitars here?).

Like most clan compounds, the Ametsuchi compound was impressively elegant and large. The buildings were made of thick grey stones and dark timbers, with red flags hanging everywhere. My mother looked a little unnerved by the grandness of it all, but never the less walked me to the door. A servant clad in a black uniform led us to a front room with several sofas and tapestries. We only had a moment to take it in before Akuma appeared with a woman that was clearly his mother. Like her son, her long dark hair was exotically braided and pulled back to bare her warmly tanned skin. She was surprisingly tall and muscular, with eyes that appeared black and a wide smile. "You must be Akuma's friend!" She greeted us warmly.

"Okaa san, this is Tora san." Akuma lazily added from her side. His heavily lidded eyes crinkled into a smile to greet us.

"Nice to meet you." I bowed politely.

My own mother stepped forward with a smile. "Ametsuchi san, I am Tora's mother, Hotaru. Thank you for having her, I was just making sure she made it here safely."

Akuma's mother laughed heartily, breaking through the dark atmosphere the house seemed to create. "It's our pleasure, I'm just happy that Akuma is actually making friends! Please call me Yuuna. Are you sure you wouldn't like to join us?"

Hotaru smiled more freely, apparently happy that she wasn't leaving me with a bunch of crazies. "I would love to, but I must go home and help my husband with the customers. Is it alright if I return in a few hours to pick her up?"

Yuuna shook her head. "That's alright, we can have her escorted back."

"If it's not too much trouble, Yuuna san..."

"Don't be silly!"

Hotaru smiled merrily, the way one does when they get along with a new acquaintance. She bent down to give me a tight hug. "Be _good,_ Tora."

"When am I not?" I replied, fluttering my eyes innocently. She gave me a flat look and bid us goodbye. Yuuna turned to us and smiled. "Dinner isn't ready yet. Akuma, why don't you show Tora san around the grounds?"

Akuma nodded and steered me away without further instruction. "You like fish?"

I blinked owlishly. "Well, I suppose it's tasty."

"Not as food." He chuckled. "We have a few ponds outside. I thought you may like to have a look."

"Oh, ok then." I mumbled. I followed him down several corridors that were as gothic as a traditional Japanese building could get until he paused to push open a floor length stained glass that turned out to be a sliding door. Outside, rows of bushes and plants lined the wide slate path that wove around several large ponds and crooked trees. The scent of the musky house was swallowed by flower pollen and damp soil. The sun had already set, leaving the outdoors bathed in various hues of indigo and the pale half moon twinkled in the reflection of the water. "Wow..." I stepped through the doorway slowly as if it was a genjutsu ready to be dispelled.

"Many people in my clan like to garden and maintain the landscape for our summons. It's a sort of hobby." Akuma explained as he followed me with his hands in his pockets.

I peered into the nearest pond and was excited to see several large fish flicking around. I wondered if there were species in this world that weren't in my old one? "Summons? Is that when you sign a contract with an animal?"

"Animals are most common." Akuma confirmed, eying the fish. "My clan is well known for them, and our libraries hold many that have yet to be signed. It's a tradition that when an Ametsuchi nin has graduated they start attempting the summoning technique."

"Damn, that's cool." I laughed. "Have you chosen yours?"

He grinned excitedly. "Vultures."

Well, that was insanely creepy. Awesome, but _creepy._ Speaking of...

"Akuma san...do you remember why I agreed to come over?"

His face grew solemn again, and I felt regretful for bringing it up. "We both want answers."

"Do you want me to go first?" I offered.

Akuma nodded. "How do you know that Naruto is a container?"

I gaped at him for a moment, surprised he had spoken so openly, then shook my head and gave him the excuse I had planned. "I heard a villager call him a demon fox, and then my dad gave him free ramen the day before his birthday a while ago. It was the day before that day everybody lights lamps for defeating the Kyuubi, and those that were killed. I just poked around, really. Are you sure it's ok to say this in the open?" I asked nervously.

"This is probably the most well guarded place save the Hokage's office to talk about this. Many of my family's summons are capable of detecting ANBU or whatever." If he didn't believe my answer, he seemed uninterested in pursuing the matter. "And now you want to know why people call me an _oni. _I was hoping to save this for after dinner, but I suppose we might as well do this now."

"I'm sorry if you'd rather not tell me." I said apologetically.

"It's fine." Akuma waved me off. "It's not like we're a bunch of jinchuriki in hiding. My clan doesn't just collect summoning contracts, we have a habit of getting rather nasty ones, and forging a lot of equipment that the interrogation unit uses. Many Ametsuchi shinobi were also known for being quite gory and brutal, so over time rumours started that we had made a deal with the shinigami to be more powerful. Many in our own village don't trust us."

"...Really? That's it?" I snorted at his surprised expression. "How can people treat you so badly here? Just because you have a bloody approach to fighting? You guys are still protecting Konoha!"

Akuma shrugged. "They should also be thanking Naruto for being a prison to the fox demon. People are stupid and easily scared. Are you sure you want to stick around for dinner? If you run now, I'll give you a 10 minutes start before we release the hell hounds." He grinned lopsidedly.

"You know what? I think I can survive dinner." I winked back. "You know-"

"Onii san! Onii san! Look at this-" A sprinting figure flew out of the door, abruptly halting in front of us. I tilted my head to the side and repressed to urge to coo. This had to be Akuma's sister. She was short and chubby like most children were, with a curtain of long black hair and slightly paler skin than her brother. I smiled wider when I noticed that her eyes were the same unique gradient of green and gold.

"Miu, what do you have here?" Akuma asked softly. I watched him kneel down to look at the drawing Miu was holding. "This is beautiful, Imouto chan. Is this Otou san's summon?"

Miu nodded, apparently mute now as she stared at me shyly. Akuma tucked her hair behind her ear. "Why don't you go show this to him? I'm sure he'll love it." She dashed away and out of sight.

I chuckled lightly. "You two are so cute together. Is she always like that?"

"Oh no, she's just quiet around new people. Usually she's far more annoying." Akuma whispered conspiratorially. At that, we heard a deep gong sounding, signalling dinner. It was on our journey back that I met my first summon. A rumbling roar echoed towards us as the shadows ahead suddenly expanded.

I'm embarrassed to say that I screamed like a girl.

Akuma cackled wildly. "Kami, your face!"

"Shut up!" I hissed with a red face. "What is that?!"

Akuma called out. "Taro, come say hello." At his words, the canine figure of a fucking _hyena_ of all things padded out from behind the staircase. Its fur was brown with dark spots, with a short stumpy tail wiggling with delight. I tensed again when I saw how abnormally large it was, and shit, red eyes are definitely not normal! The damn mutt was wheezing like a hyperventilating clown, apparently finding my terror _hilarious._

"I sort of understand the whole demon clan thing now." I grumbled as I glared at Taro.

Akuma smirked. "This is my father's familiar. He has a summoning contract with the hyena family."

I tilted my head in confusion, then scowled when Taro mimicked me mockingly. "What do you mean by familiar?"

"Summoners in my clan tend to choose one specific summon to stay in this world with them. It involves a different type of blood oath. They become our closest companions, and we consider them as part of the clan."

"Oh, well that's cool...can you stop staring, please?" I snapped at Taro. The hyena cackled again, then slunk away from us. "I thought summons were able to speak?"

"They can. Taro's just not much of a talker. Hungry now?"

"Sure..."

* * *

**I realised that I haven't left an author's note in ages...so hi!  
**

**I cannot begin to express how much you guys rock - 400 favourites! And to everyone who's pm'ed me or reviewed, thank you 3 I know it sucks that I'm shitty at replying to everyone, but you input means a lot and is very helpful; everytime I read one I get all excited and it's like I'm watching Naruto all over again for the first time ^_^ **

**A few peeps have been mentioning that the academy kids are unusually mature; don't worry, I'm aware, and there IS a reason for that, though that won't be explained for a while I'm afraid. Warning - the next chapter will include a time skip to graduation (nothing major will be missed don't worry) just to get the story moving again - genin teams are where the fun's going to start! **

**I'd also like to stress that this story isn't a 'OC appears and becomes the forth wheel of team 7' ****story, though admittedly I am guilty of indulging in them myself. This story at the moment is more focused on lesser characters like Teuchi's family and team 10, as well as OCs. However I will say that the protagonists will become a large part of it as well; Tora's got her own stuff to mess about with, at that'll affect canon.**

**I hope I explained the hostility to Akuma's family well enough, it took me ages to rewrite after FF net crashed :P So I may delve in later to make minor changes. **

**Again, thanks for reading! **

**Love, **

**Renzin xo**


	16. A Conflicted Start To Team 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only this storyline, my OCs and my artwork.**

Chapter 16

* * *

_"My favourite rule from Sensei was "Always maintain the attitude of a student." When a person thinks they have finished learning, that is when bitterness and disappointment can set in, as that person will wake up every day wondering when someone is going to throw a parade in their honor for being so smart. As human beings, we, by the definition of our very natures, can never be perfect. This means that as long as we are alive and kicking, we can be improving ourselves." _

— Nick Offerman (Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Principles for Delicious Living)

* * *

She'd been out since before the birds, sitting against the domed tip of the library in the centre of Konoha. Her skin was chilled by the awakening breeze. The amber leaves of a nearby maple tree danced towards the Hokage monument, releasing their powdery perfume. Soon, the sun would rise from behind the mountain, but for now its prelude glowed like a crown upon the heads of Leaf's previous leaders.

She breathed deeply, slowly relaxing into the curving brick behind her. There was once a time that in a situation like this, _he'd _be savouring a cigarette and watching its vapour drift away. Part of her pyjama top had ridden up on her lower spine. She pressed a little harder like a cat chasing a scratch behind the ears. She smiled, her mouth open to taste the new day. The panic of her graduation exams would catch up with her once the rest of the village joined her, but for now, Tora was content to watch the world wake up as if it was all for her.

* * *

"_YEAH BABY!" _I threw my fists up in the air reminiscent of an athlete crossing the finish line. Once again, I had graduated, but instead of a high school diploma, I held a shiny new forehead protector. _Fuck yeah! _I was well on my way to becoming a kick ass ninja.

In the courtyard of the Academy, I spotted my family waiting amongst the crowd of parents. I jogged over with a wide grin, laughing when Ayame started to squeal and clap. "You did it! Go Tora!"

My parents gave me two enthusiastic hugs. "We knew you could do it." Teuchi said, ruffling my hair affectionately. "All that hard work was bound to pay off."

_Let's not mention that our taijutsu made up for the failed kunoichi module and genjutsu part of the exam._

"Thanks Otou san." I chirped, hanging my arm around his waist. It felt great to soak up all the attention and family love, and now that I was firmly invested in this life, I tried to make up for the shitty one I had had before by enjoying moments like this.

Hotaru smiling with watery eyes, torn between congratulating and warning me of the dangers of a kunoichi. _"Look_ at you." She held my face her warm hands. "Teuchi, do you remember when she was our little baby girl? Who would've known you'd become so beautiful and strong!"

I shook my head bashfully. "It's not like I'm leaving home or anything. I've just become an utter badass."

_Couldn't help myself._

Immediately Hotaru returned to her scolding mother mode, slapping my cheek lightly. "A tongue like a sailor! Husband, where did we go wrong?"

I rolled my eyes at Ayame while our mother continued to rant. While somethings were unlikely to change, others developments had arisen.

I was now 12 years old (yep, _still_ a girl), and had passed through the youthful gates of puberty. Yes, I now bled like the pits of Hell every month. No, I didn't feel like retelling the story of Ayame and Hotaru tag teaming me for 'girl talks'. My old strength was returning, my reflexes faster and I was developing a more flexible style than before. I was one of the tallest in my class, and was starting to develop a more toned body, and was oddly excited for the time when I would need a bra. I guess my _interest _in tits would translate into this life as well.

Feeling giddy on my success, I accepted Ayame's insistence on a new outfit. She gaped, her large brown eyes like rusty coins. "Really? You're not going to complain?!"

"I guess it would be nice to have a change." I shrugged. I felt like being amiable today, and figured it was best to go with it until I reverted back to scowling and avoiding oestrogen fuelled activities. As much as I liked lazing about in T shirts, I wanted to build a new look for my first experiences of real ninja life. When I was a boxer, branding yourself was important if you wanted to be popular, and I had been waiting for the right time to try that out again.

Ayame whooped. "Yes! My sister's realised she's a girl!"

"Don't push it."

I had learnt that the best way to keep Ayame and my mother satisfied was to let them have the occasional _total_ control over my appearance to sate their appetites for the next several months, so the majority of my day was spent running around the shopping districts of Konoha. Several times, I ran into classmates, waving and exchanging congratulations for passing. After Hotaru dispersed to do some grocery shopping, I pulled out my best persuasive skills to convince Teuchi to restock my supplies of kunai, which led to Ayame insisting on helping me choose new clothes to wear on missions.

In a slightly anticlimactic fashion, I walked away with several pairs of tight cropped black trousers, a collection of dark tank tops and a thick utility belt with several pouches (like motherfucking _Batman)._ Ayame had snuck in some loose crop tops that were light enough to wear over the tanks, and I had snatched a dark blue hoodie that I was planning to cut the sleeves and bottom hem off of to be able to wear in the heat. I also managed to swindle a set of fingerless gloves that were similar to my old sparring leather slips, and a matching pair of boots. Both were padded to protect the softer tendons and to absorb heavy contact. At first, I was surprised to find them because everybody always wore sandals around here; the designs were distinctly western, but I was used to the amusing parallels that appeared to my old life. On closer inspection, the area around the knuckles of the gloves had a moulded mesh layer of some sort of strong metal like a built in knuckle duster; the shoes as well were essentially steel toed, and extremely flexible in the arch of the foot to allow a silent advance. The design of both the gloves and boots were black with orange and red detailing.

The weekend was something that for once I wished was over; having to wait till Monday to start official training was a pain in the ass, and I found myself filing my notes and books from the Academy away and trying to stretch out my new gear to pass the time.

Akuma had gone through with his promise of making me a bo staff, but it still wasn't completed. Since our agreement, he had been taught more about blacksmithing (in particular reshaping wood and building mechanisms), and had made dozens of prototypes. The majority weren't able to hold my weight, or snapped when I tried sparring with them. The retractable network of gears jammed on some, and on others the proportions weren't right. To be honest, I didn't mind the wait; the entire process was cool as fuck, and it was fun to see how excited Akuma was. He himself was working on his own weapon, though apart from his complaints about the burns on his hands from working with hot metals, he was being very secretive on what type of weapon it was. Several times a week, he would eat at Ichiraku's and we would chat about his work.

Lee joined me for my miscellaneous training over the weekend, bored stiff like I myself was. He was ecstatic to find out our teams; apparently he was hoping that Might Gai would be his sensei, and was eager to prove his worth. I knew he was going to become badass at taijutsu (like I was planning to do), and already his strength was notable at our age. I felt a sense of camaraderie with Lee; he was great to try out new moves with, and I had come to look at him like a younger sibling. I hoped to be able to occasionally train with him after we were put into teams.

Keiko was still Keiko. We had a lazy relationship of insulting each other, but it was better than trying to avoid stepping on each other's toes. In a way it was familiar and therapeutic. If she pissed me off, I punched her; vise versa and she threw something sharp at me. And of course, sarcasm was always present in our conversations.

I had overall settled down into my life here. It helped that I had a chance to connect with my old career here, and was surrounded by support. On my last night before meeting my new team, I spotted a nearby stack of crates behind the back entrance of a bar. I smirked when an idea formed, and with ease snatched up a bottle and headed back home to climb up into the higher branches of the tree near my bedroom's window. Kami, I hadn't had a cold beer in _ages, _and hell if I don't deserve one now. With a grin of anticipation, I hit the cap off against the hard tip of my new boot and took a swing. Then promptly spat it all out.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT?!"

* * *

I think I've covered before that I'm a show off. So it won't come as a surprise to anybody that I swaggered into my classroom decked out in my new gear; gloves and boots laced tightly up, my customised hoodie hanging down to my navel and my headband tied into the hooks of my belt of pouches like a buckle. My hair was up in its usual high ponytail, and my face wore a smug expression I couldn't suppress (nor did I particularly want to).

I took a seat next to Keiko, propping my feet on the desk. "You ready for this?"

_"Duh."_ Keiko smirked. "You look like you made an effort."

I shrugged. "I felt like it was worth it. You've done the same I see."

Keiko's purple hair had been cut again into a short and spiky style after having grown down to her shoulders. Her headband had been tied tightly around her bicep and a pair of leg warmers were worn alternatively from her upper arms down to her wrists. At her hips hung a white skirt split almost entirely at the thighs into individual panels that sported a red geometric design, with tight shorts worn underneath. Her stomach was exposed and her chest covered with a strip of skin toned cloth over her chests like a tribal bandeau, leaving her shoulders bare. Around her neck hung the usual beaded necklace she wore with her clan symbol carved into wood.

A thought occurred to me. "Hey, you look like your sister."

Keiko immediately flushed red and snapped. "I do _not! _Take that back!"

"C'mon, the hair, the exposed skin, how can you ignore that?" I sniggered. "You're a chibi Anko through and through."

She scowled, her sharp eyebrows forming an arrow on her face. "You know, I was gonna say I'll miss you, but I don't think I will now."

"Oh Keiko, you _do _care!" I jested, bumping my shoulder with hers.

She rolled her eyes, batting me away. "As if. Just don't get too depressed when my team surpasses yours in every single way."

"I'll try my hardest not to."

Eventually the rest of the class drifted in. Lee was excited chatting to Tenten in the front row, gesticulating wildly to her. Akuma sent a smirk in our direction, simultaneously irritating Keiko and greeting me. He now wore his usual cropped and high waisted trousers with a loose haori that left his chest open. Both were an inky green with his clan symbol in white on the back (I swear it looked like an illuminati symbol) and his forehead protector visibly glinted between his curtains of hair.

Iruka entered and called for order with a lightness in his voice and face (look at that, he's _proud _of us). "Hello everyone! Once again congratulations for graduating; you're all very capable students, and I have no doubt that you'll be a benefit to our village. I'm going to call out your team names now, and once you're sorted we'll introduce you to your new sensei's."

The class settled only slightly, a happy hum of whispering as he called out names. Students had a range of reactions; some were nonchalant, others looking being pretty grim whereas a few were happy enough to move into their threes without being told. I bit my lip with worry when Lee was paired with Neji (who had been the most vocal about his short comings before), but at least he was with Tenten.

Occupied as I was watching them, I wasn't paying attention until a sharp cry of rage reminiscent of a harpy came from Keiko. I damn near fell off my seat as the rest of the class jumped. "Keiko, what the hell?!" But I didn't get much of a response as Keiko continued to snarl and grate her nails against the table like a vicious animal.

Iruka took control of the class again. "Settle down, and no more interruptions."

I tried to get Keiko's attention against. "Why are you..." A figure pulled out the chair on my other side and slid into a relaxed stretch on it.

Akuma flashed a toothy grin. "Hi teammate."

"No no _no,_ I refuse!" Keiko yelled. She slammed her hands on the table and jumped to her feet. "Iruka sensei! I demand to change teams!"

Iruka glared at her, answering with a huff. "That's not happening. You're all specifically placed where you'll have the best chance to develop-"

"If I'm in a team with the demon, I _will _strangle him!" Keiko yowled. "You can't expect me to work with him!"

"I never knew you harboured such intense feelings for me, Keiko chan." Akuma purred, as if he received death threats from girls everyday.

Keiko sucked in a breath like he'd spat at her, pouncing with claws out. I jumped up in between them and took the momentum to my side, holding Keiko back why she continued to scream and reach around me to a serenely reclined Akuma. The class exploded into excited yelling. Iruka rushed over to pull Keiko away, struggling to force her back into her seat. "THAT IS ENOUGH!" He roared. "You three are Team 11 and that's final! Keiko, you need to get over this ridiculous prejudice and _grow up. _Your behaviour is going to bring the others down, and if this doesn't work out _all _of you will return to the Academy."

I snapped my eyes up to him. "You can't do that! We've already graduated!"

Iruka narrowed his eyes. "Just try causing trouble, and see what happens."

Keiko and I glared heatedly at his retreating figure, then turned to stare at Akuma. He was lazily humming with his hands behind his head, and tilted his head to us as if to say 'what's up?'. I sighed and leaned my head against the table. Of all the combinations of teammates...

* * *

We were directed to go to training ground 4 as soon as we were released by a relieved Iruka. Because I had no idea where the hell that was, I had to follow Keiko and Akuma, who had decided to assert their dominance by getting there before the other one. Keiko would race furiously across the rooftops, only to be easily matched in speed by Akuma while I kept asking Kami _why_ and travelled a safe distance away from the mobile danger zone.

Training ground 4 turned out to be near the Hokage monument, making the terrain range from crumbling rock to thickening forest. Like the other training grounds, it was sectioned off with a wired wall. Leaning against a tree directly in line of the gate was a man I had never seen before, staring blankly into the distance. He turned his head slowly as we skidded to a halt in front of him, panting slightly. We sized him up as he gazed back at us.

If there was ever a textbook sufferer of anaemia, this guy was it. His skin had a grey pallor, his cheekbones straining against the flesh and deep almost bruise like rings swallowed his sunken eyes. He was dressed in the standard Konoha shinobi uniform, with a katana strapped to his back and his forehead protector worn like a bandana to cover most of his brown hair.

"So you're my students." He murmured, his voice sounding hoarse and almost pained. "My name is Gekko Hayate. Please, sit."

The three of us paused, then plopped onto the floor. Keiko especially was stilled hyped with adrenaline, and seemed to have been expecting a full out battle once we arrived. Once we had settled, Hayate slid down the tree to sit as well, hands still in pockets and seemingly oblivious to our confused staring. "You all seem a little tired. Is there a reason for that?"

After a moment, Akuma spoke up with his usual smile. "Just a little race on the way, sensei." He faltered slightly when his usual charm did nothing to alter the man's morose expression.

"I see." Hayate replied, then abruptly swallowed down several dry coughs. Keiko and I exchanged a bewildered look, wondering if he should be in a hospital. "I suppose we ought to get to know each other. Tell me your names, what sort of ninja you want to be and something about yourself."

Keiko jumped in to start first, as loudly as she usually did. "I'm Mitarashi Keiko, and I'm a long range fighter! My clan's teaching me some medical ninjutsu, and I'm a sensor type. I like sharp things and music, and I _really _don't like anything unnatural." She gave a pointed sneer at Akuma.

He ran a hand through his hair and took that as a que to go next. "Well Sensei, call me Ametsuchi Akuma. My strongest areas are ninjutsu and genjutsu and my family are also teaching me our summoning techniques and the art of blacksmithing. I've never felt the need to bother hating anything, and I'm a fan of Ichiraku's ramen." He winked at me.

Hayate nodded, then beckoned for me to start. "My name's Kurosawa Tora. I, err, also like Ichiraku's, though that's because my dad owns it. I want to specialise in taijutsu, though my ninjutsu's ok, and I've also started some training with a bo staff." I didn't mention that at the moment my training staff was technically an old mop without the head.

Hayate hummed, taking his time to digest the information. "We have a nice mix, it seems. There's little you need to know about me. I am a tokubetsu jounin for kenjutsu, which means I specifically am at jounin level for this area of my skills, however I expressed an interest in leading a team. Do you know what chakra natures you all have?"

We answered readily, and because it turned out that Hayate was fire and Akuma was earth, we had two Katon users, one Doton and one Futon.

Hayate hissed as if to cough again (we all slightly cringed) but seemed to control himself. "From first impressions, you seem to be good candidates for a more heavy hitting team..." he drifted off slowly into his own thoughts as we stared at him. Akuma raised one eyebrow.

Keiko quickly got annoyed with the silence. "Hey, so are we going to start missions and stuff?"

That seemed to snap Hayate out of his daze. He blinked a few times, then softly answered. "Oh no, not right know. Perhaps after you pass."

"...Pass what?" I said with apprehension.

"My test." He said shortly. "The Academy gives you some knowledge, but now I need to determine whether this is the right place for you."

Akuma pouted, as if he had figured this would happen. "I suppose it's not for everybody."

"But we just graduated! Why the hell didn't Anko warn me about another test?!" Keiko growled, thoroughly irritated at the betrayal.

Hayate shrugged. "It takes more that studying in a classroom to prepare you for what's outside the village walls. Are there any questions?"

Keiko looked like she wanted to snap some more, but with a pointed look from me she huffed and stayed quiet. Hayate stood up and brushed his legs. "Very well. Return here tomorrow at dawn, well rested and prepared for your test." He promptly disappeared quite literally like a flash.

I gaped, looking around for him. "How the fuck did he do that?"

"_Shunshin. _The body flicker technique." Akuma supplied. "Cool, isn't it?"

"He better teach us that." Keiko grumbled. She sent us a heated glare. "We're gonna pass tomorrow, right?"

Akuma's lips hung up in the corners. "But Keiko chan, I thought you didn't want me on your team?"

"I _don't, _but I won't let your satanic ass get in the way of a promotion." She snapped. With that, Keiko leapt up and stalked away.

Akuma and I looked at each other. He smirked at my tired groan. "So...can I have some free ramen now we're on the same team?"

"Get out of here, Ametsuchi."


	17. You've Got To Earn Your Ramen Discount

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only this storyline, my OCs and my artwork.**

Chapter 17

* * *

_"Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself." _  
― Rumi

* * *

I found it odd to work out exactly when 'dawn' was. Sure, I was familiar with the phenomenom - Sun comes up, birds tweeting and all, but how could I set an alarm for 'dawn'. Didn't it change with the seasons?

And how stupid was it that I relied on clocks so much that this was giving me anxiety?

Voluntarily go into a profession that involves being beaten up on TV? Bring it. Let by best friend and her crazy grandma stick needles in my back? Sure, why not. Live with the possibility of being late? Crippling, endless anxiety.

Naturally, this meant that I woke up even earlier than I should have and found myself alone in training ground 4. I had enough time to stretch a bit, then nervously wander around the clearing until Keiko joined me, almost an hour later. She practically stormed in with a fearsome expression, and I didn't need to guess much as to why when I spotted Akuma trailing in behind her with a self satisfied smirk. "Ah, I see all of us are after the worm this morning."

"Yeah, tweet tweet." I mumbled. I may like waking up early, but that didn't make me a great conversationalist until around lunch time.

"Tora chan, how's Ichiraku's?" He drawled.

"Still standing."

"Mm. And your family?"

"Functioning."

_"Lovely._ How about-"

"Enough with the small talk, you're doing my head in." Keiko snapped.

Akuma placed a hand on his chest. "Oh my dear Keiko, how your words wound me."

"Why don't you let me show you what _else _I'm gonna wound!"

Before murder could be attempted, our new sensei slipped out of the trees. Hayate came to a stop in front of us with his hands in his pockets and the same dower expression he had worn the day before. "I don't think fighting amongst yourselves is the best way to start today."He took a moment to assess each of us, coughing lightly before continuing. "You'll have to entire day to finish this task. Your objective is to obtain this, and its purpose." He pulled out a dark wooden box, the delicate sort with a glossy sheen. "Any questions?"

There was a pause, and then Keiko acted. Without so much as waiting for a 'begin', she hurled several senbon at Hayate and charged didn't miss a beat. As Hayate dodged without a single change in his expression, Akuma dove in to attack with a kunai, aiming for his side. Again, Hayate easily moved out of the way and behind Akuma, so that he would take the brunt of Keiko's senbon.

This all happened in the time it took me to stop gaping and get in on the action.

Moving out of Akuma's trajectory, I sprinted forward and aimed my right fist at Hayate. The jounin blocked it without a glance and knocked my elbow out of the way as I tried to engage him. I pivoted to throw a hard roundhouse kick, then all of a sudden I was staring at the sky on my back.

I blinked.

Then hissed at the new pain in my hip. Hayate had managed to grab my leg then quite literally swing me to the side.

I hadn't even seen him move.

Keiko's yelp of surprise broke my daze and I scrambled up to see her legs kicked out from under her. In the same roll of momentum Hayate was then blocking another strike from Akuma and throwing him on top of our other teammate. They collided loudly and groaned until Keiko shoved Akuma off of her with a furious expression. "That's it! Hand over the freaking box, Sensei!"

Hayate raised an eyebrow. "I'm afraid you'll be hard pressed to find an enemy that'll just do what you say, Keiko san."

"What about if I ask nicely?" Again he easily blocked my foot with his forearm, holding me in place. "I think you need to work on your definition of 'nice', and your taijutsu." He pulled at my ankle so that my shin was pressed against his chest, then sharply jabbed his hand like a claw into the underside of my thigh. My shocked face morphed into pain as I cried out and fell. Whatever Hayate had done had cramped the muscles inside my thigh and calf simultaneously.

I didn't see the next few moments of the fight, being too preoccupied with the immobility I was dealing with, and it was only after furiously rubbing my hands against my leg did the pain start to wade away. I absolutely _hated_ cramps, always making sure to drink enough water to avoid them, but that had been something else.

There was another grunt of pain, and then a sigh. "I was expected at least one of you to still be standing. It hasn't even been two minutes." Hayate said dispassionately.

I rolled onto my shoulder to look up; Keiko was stuck in some sort of nylon robe and swinging from the lower branches of a tree, her white skirt panels covering her face while she cursed and struggled, while Akuma was on his hands and knees wheezing. Hayate was standing in his original spot and looked quite untouched. He opened his mouth to continue, then shifted to allow another kunai to pass him. However this one erupted with a loud bang and plume of white smoke.

After achieving this, Akuma jumped to his feet with a grimace and tugged Keiko down to the ground roughly, but before he could help her out of the knotted mess Hayate was there again, slamming his palm against the side of his jaw. Akuma staggered, hitting the trunk of the tree and barely managing to block the next attack with both forearms.

I staggered to my feet, attempting to run to help, but after putting weight on my cramping leg I gasped and fell to one knee, cursing my lack of pain tolerance. I grabbed a kunai from my belt and tried to remember how to execute a proper throw, however the weapon hit the trunk inches from Akuma's face. Hayate turned slightly with a bemused expression, while Akuma glared incredulously.

At that point, Keiko came to my rescue from humiliation. One leg still awkwardly bound, she yelled a war cry and launched senbon at Hayate's lower body. The close proximity brought her closer to her target than ever, but still Hayate deftly leapt away from the attack.

At the very least, Akuma was no longer cornered in. "You'll have to do better than that!" The jounin taunted.

I half stumbled half shuffled over to Keiko and tried to use another kunai to cut through the rope, but its tough fabric made it time consuming. Huffing in exasperation, I began to unwind Keiko's leg by hand. "You look ridiculous." She muttered. I could feel the thick mud that was caked to one side of my face.

I scowled at her classic effort to spread the bad mood. "I _could_ just leave you like this, you know."

Meanwhile, Akuma had peeled himself from the tree to meet our sensei in battle again. With gritted teeth, he threw another exploding tag at Hayate and began to flip through hand seals once the smoke had enveloped both of them.

Keiko was now free, and my leg was fading to irritating pins and needles, so we both jumped and circled to either side of the smoke, ready to strike. After a few tense moments, I could make out Hayate's silhouette, then the silence was broken by Akuma's hand breaking out of the ground (1) and latching onto his ankle. For one split second, I thought that he had him, but then with a grunt Hayate grabbed onto the hand and pulled Akuma himself out of the ground.

Stunned, Akuma hung limp and was too slow to counter the knee that made contact with his stomach. I rushed forward, then yelped and twisted sideways to avoid more senbon from Keiko. A hot sting on my upper thigh told me that one of them had scratched me. Not noticing my predicament, Keiko snarled and threw more, only this time catching Akuma while Hayate merely dodged again. However this time, Keiko had used the distraction to flip through her own hand seals; a wave of leaves whipped around Hayate, and were gone just as quickly (2).

Whatever Hayate saw caused the greatest emotional response they had seen from him so far, but even _ Narakumi no Jutsu _did little more that narrow his eyes and grimace. He broke out of the genjutsu almost immediately, used _shunshin _to close the distance to Keiko and knock her rolled back up and out of the way as I took hold of Hayate's attention again after having used the distraction to cast my own jutsu (3).

Hayate was greeted with three of me running towards him. The first was instantly burst with an open palm, the next with a kick to the legs, but it was all I needed to get a clear shot at his head. My leg sprung up almost to 180 degrees then fell down to hit the muscle between neck and shoulder. To my horror, Hayate blocked the attack with only a slight grunt.

With my foot caught _again, _he spoke condescendingly. "I thought you would've worked out by now that your legs are far too slow for you to not end up in this position."

My face burned red with shame and anger, and with a cry I threw all my weight onto him. His eyes narrowed slightly, then he twisted and let fall me to the ground to duck more flying senbon. "Aren't you running out of those?"

While Keiko had Hayate's attention, I rushed to Akuma and pulled him out of the way. He was clutching his hand from where he had been dragged out of the earth like a broken doll. "This isn't working." He sighed with irritation.

"You think so?!" I winced as Keiko had her own senbon launched back at her to burst the clone she had made. "We shouldn't be fighting head on. We need to get Keiko and regroup away from Sensei."

"He won't let us run off like that." Akuma frowned in thought, then a cunning smirk reappeared. "But I do have another idea."

Akuma sunk to one knee, centred himself, then flew through another set of familiar hand seals. He grimaced when nothing happened; I watched with confusion, realising that this was the first time I'd ever seen him struggle with ninjutsu, but then a moment later I understood why. After making the hand seals again, Akuma disappeared and reappeared next to Hayate. The latter slapped the kunai out of his hands, which caused the clone to burst.

Out of my peripheral, I saw something approaching and neatly caught the projectile. I opened my hand and gaped when I saw what Akuma had thrown to me, and finally understood.

It wasn't a just clone jutsu he had cast, but _Kawarimi no Jutsu_; the reason for his first failed attempt was that Akuma was trying to swap himself with the box hanging from Hayate's hip (4). Unlike what we practiced at the Academy, he had to do it on a moving object since Hayate was lazily dodging Keiko. However instead of just replacing the box, he'd substituted himself away again, and the real Akuma was now running back to save Keiko's ass.

I was _extremely_ envious of Akuma's chakra reserves, because seriously, for a new genin he should be exhausted by now or something.

I crouched in the shrubbery and examined the box in my hand. It was minimally decorated, but looked to be on the expensive side. I opened it to find it had a velvet lining as well, and upon seeing that, I realised how we could win. I just needed...ah hah!

Excitedly I made what I hoped to be the last jutsu I needed, forming another clone of myself. We both ran towards the fight, then I split off to pull Keiko away while my clone and Akuma took Hayate's attention.

Keiko was breathing heavily, but looking more pissed off than ever. Evidently, she was angry that the jounin had managed to evade her usually perfect throws. "Keiko, I need your necklace."

She looked at me like I had gone crazy. "What the hell for?"

"Just trust me, and then go help Akuma." Keiko possessively gripped her clan necklace, then huffed and handed it over. She ran past and joined the assault again, while I rolled up the necklace as neatly as I could, then closed the box. The adrenaline made my fingers uncooperative, but once I was done, I turned and raised the box in my hand. "GAME OVER!"

The three of them froze, staring at me like I had gone mad. Hayate narrowed his eyes on the box in my grasp. "I don't think so, Tora san. You haven't completed the test yet."

"I'm pretty certain I have." And now, I couldn't help the grin that formed on my face. "You said we had to get the box and its purpose, right? Well, here's the box, and _here _is its purpose." I popped the lid to reveal Keiko's necklace displayed inside. "It's too decorative to hold anything that isn't valuable. It's a jewellery box!"

Akuma and Keiko snapped their heads to Hayate as well, as we all prayed in the silence that we were in the clear. My smile started to grow weak at the completely blank expression the jounin was using to stare at me, until finally, his lips quirked to the side. "Huh, I guess you guys aren't so useless after all."

"Does this mean we pass?" Keiko asked hopefully.

Another twitch of the lips, and then a nod. I whooped while Akuma gave a relieved laugh and Keiko looked up as if to say 'thank you'.

Hayate relaxed from his combat position and coughed lightly, as if the condition seemed to be overcome by physical activity (which really didn't make any sense). "Congratulations, you're all officially part of Team 11. Go and get some food, then in an hour I want you all back here to get properly started." With that, our sensei promptly left us.

I gave another whoop with my arms in the air. "How cool was that!"

Keiko threw her arms around my waist. "Ahh, that was awesome! How did you get it?"

"Actually Bug Eyes, _I _got the box for us." Akuma drawled with no attempt at modesty.

"Huh, would you look at that, you're more than just an _ugly_ face."

"Alright, enough!" I said firmly before a fight broke out. "We're genin now, so shut your mouths and lets go get some food." Keiko rolled her eyes at my mothering tone.

"Now that we're _officially _teammates, I get free ramen, right?" Akuma poked at my side, jumping away as I swatted at him.

"In your dreams, Ametsuchi."

"Ha! I've _never _had to pay for my ramen." Keiko boasted.

"What! That is _extremely _unfair!"

* * *

Our bellies sufficiently full and our moods light, we managed to make it back to training ground for without Keiko committing murder, getting lost or Akuma complaining about discriminating discounts at Ichiraku's. Hayate was already waiting for us, reclined with one knee up in the branches of a tree. Spotting us, he jumped down and motioned for us to sit.

"Alright, listen up, From here on out, I am your sensei. This morning was only a taste of what I expect from you. Today, we're going to discuss our plans, but first I need to address this." He made a face as his hand vaguely gestured towards us. "I don't care what you think of me. I don't care if all your friends are in another team, or if you think you're some big hotshot who think this whole squad idea is holding you back. You can go do whatever the hell you want on your own after training, but in the hours I have you, you're going to live the way I tell you to."

He paused to rub his throat a little after a short wheeze. "Akuma san, Keiko san, short of murdering beloved members of each other's clans, I don't give a damn what bad blood there is between you. Get over it. In these walls, you're safe. Once we're out doing missions, everybody has to have each other's backs, and you need to _trust _each other. To be completely honest, you could've failed my test and still passed." We all gave him incredulous looks. "Yeah. It didn't matter what the outcome was, as long as I could see how you worked together. Teamwork is extremely important, and it's certainly going to be a while before any of you qualify for solo missions. Lucky for you guys, despite your differences, you work well together; you gave each other sufficient time to recover from the fight, even if you weren't being completely altruistic."

"But to truly succeed as a squad, to become _exceptional,_ you need to do more than just tolerate each other. Keiko san, enough with the demon nicknames. The Ametsuchi clan may have a reputation, but I've seen your sister do worse in the field, so grow up. Remember that Akuma san covered for you several times today."

Keiko flushed, but nodded solemnly.

Hayate pressed on. "Good. Now, I want to talk about the test. Akuma san, that was clever use of _Kawarimi no Jutsu. _Be careful in a real fight though, I would have used chakra to keep the box on my person, so that wouldn't have worked. Your ninjutsu's good, and you adapted well. Tora san, again, good thinking with the necklace. You managed to work out the meaning of the box, which is an important lesson." Hayate spoke to all of us as we listened attentively. "When you're in enemy territory, say, on an infiltration mission, you could come across objects that could be of value to the village, so you need to use you brains."

He focused on me again. "Your reaction time was slower than the others, and we'll definitely be focusing on that aim of yours, but you pulled your weight. Your taijutsu's good, but too flashy and because of that you were too slow. There's no point hitting heavy if you're easy to dodge and subdue. Keiko san, your genjutsu was stable, but don't bother with such a low level jutsu against anyone higher than genin. Your aim was good, but you need more on your arsenal in terms of tactics. Does everybody understand what I've said? Good. Now let's start with your endurance."

For the rest of the day, Hayate sensei drove us like dogs. By the time I made it home, my clothes had turned several shades darker from perspiration, and I couldn't bring myself to climb through the window like usual. But boy, did he give me something to think about. A lifetime of experience, and I couldn't even touch Hayate sensei. It just goes to show how powerful ninja were in comparison, even without the use of chakra and barely any effort.

It was also a testament to Hayate's experience that he could take apart my fighting so easily, and he really had hit the nail on the head. In the boxing ring, there were rules. Publicity stunts, public statements and even a damned face off before a single match. While you're filled with the desire to win, you're also thinking about flashy moves, entrance songs, hoping someone will get a shot of the final kick which will end the match in KO.

Despite the initial novelty of living in a village full of ninjas, I was quickly accepting it at face value, rather than what I had seen on a TV screen. First I had had to adjust to a new body and family, then to the reality of where I was; I had fought for the kind of lifestyle I wanted, to become strong again, and now I had to fully understand that my old definition of strength was mediocre at best to the fighters of this world.

As ego crippling as it was, I was still looking forward to the next day.

* * *

**(1) Earth release: Double suicide decapitation ****technique - D rank**

**(2) Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique - D rank**

**(3) Clone technique - E rank**

**(4) Body replacement technique - E rank**

* * *

**Guys. _GUYS. _**

**Holy frick frack, a lot of people have been joining the band wagon on this story while I've been away. It's absolutely incredible, and I wish I could jump through everybody's screen to give you a big kiss, but I won't 'cause I've been told it's creepy. **

**I got a few inquiries about why Kisame is tagged for this story, and I promise, that's not a mistake. I probably should've added him on later, because he won't appear until at least _after _Team 11 do the chunin exams, and he is very important :3 **

**Since jutsus are now coming into the story more often, I thought it may be a good idea to have a key for each one that's used in a chapter. Is that helpful? Also, I hope you guys enjoyed the first proper fight for this story (punching Keiko doesn't count), even if Hayate totally used like 20% effort. **

**I SWEAR that update will be regular again within like, 2 weeks (approx.). My last exam (statistical physics ****woop) is coming up on a freaking monday of all days at 8;30 in the morning, so I will most like celebrate for the rest of the day then be back to writing on tuesday. **

**On a side note, it's been a nasty week for the world, even if technically a lot of horrible stuff happens every day that simply doesn't get news coverage. All the same, I hope everybody's staying safe and keeping a hold on hope. It may be a bit strange, but if anyone _does _need an anonymous ear to listen to them, then just send a PM.**

**Love, **

**Renzin xo**


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